The Flip Side
by MoreTroutyForYourMouth
Summary: I do not own Glee or any characters associated with Glee.   Mercedes and Sam come from different worlds - but what happens when those worlds collide?
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Glee or any characters featured in Glee.**

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><p>Mercedes Jones was a single woman with no kids and no boyfriend to speak of. Mercedes Jones was also a nurse and aspiring Hollywood make-up artist. One problem: she was stuck in a Podunk town called Lima in Ohio.<p>

It's a seemingly normal Wednesday evening in Lima, Ohio. Mercedes Jones finishes up a conversation with her cousin Lamont via cell phone. They had just discussed Mercedes not being able (yet again) to make it out to Lamont's rinky-dink bar, The Boom Box, for the night. Every Wednesday was open mic night and he constantly begged for her to help out the sad sappy singers that showed up by being a friendly face in the crowd. Also, at the end of the night, he would try his best to coax her up on stage. 9 times out of 10 Lamont was unsuccessful. For the past 5 weeks, Lamont was equally unsuccessful in getting his cousin to attend in the first place.

Mercedes was the definition of a workaholic. She enjoyed people and spending time with and tending to her patients, so "workaholic" didn't really apply to her in her opinion. One of her best friends, Kurt Hummel, would agree…with the rest of the world on that workaholic issue. Kurt worked as a part-time mortician and esthetician. Life was a struggle for both of them and they couldn't wait to leave Lima, but something always got in the way. Mercedes always had some financial emergency that quickly depleted her meager savings and Kurt, well, Kurt snagged himself a handsome doctor who had no intentions of leaving Lima at the present. Mercedes indeed felt stuck in her life, but she was the type to make the best of her situation and she always kept her eye on the prize: Hollywood.

Mercedes met Kurt in cosmetology school 5 years ago and the two instantly bonded. A sassy gay man and a fabulous black woman – that's friendship law – isn't it? At least that's what Kurt blurted out during their first lunch hang-out and it just seemed to make sense. Over the past 5 years, Mercedes found the odd job here and there that required her expert makeup skills to supplement her primary income source: nursing. Sometimes she and Kurt would book a job together. He'd do a bridal party's facials and Mercedes would do the makeup. She truly enjoyed making women feel beautiful and seeing how her natural talents (and a few tips she picked up in school) could transform a plain face into a knockout or subtly enhance an already beautiful face just the right amount. She always received compliments on her personal makeup style from the older male patients on her floor at St. Crispin's Hospital. One chronic patient – Mr. Figgins – was a shameless fan of Miss Jones. The older East Indian man had the cutest accent and he loved to yell out "Miss Jooooones, there isn't a prettier nurse in alllllll – of – Limaaaaaa". The sweet nurse would giggle and playfully bat away Mr. Figgins advances , but truth be told, those frequent compliments and flirtations made her day. Being a workaholic leaves little time for a social life and even less time for romantic endeavors. There was also the hope and work towards that prize: Hollywood - that kept her nose to the grindstone and her body at home alone when she wasn't at work. Mercedes was human and of course she longed for some male companionship – other than that of Kurt and his "D-r. B-f." as she liked to tease. The barriers to love she faced were not simply her workaholic nature and unwavering focus on her long term goals. She just happened to reside in one the most fruitless towns in America where dating and men were concerned. It seemed as if all the eligible men were taken and she refused to entertain the dating dregs of McKinley High's Class of 2012. So, day by day, she became a devotee to her routine and despite the pleas from Kurt and the occasional awkward online date; she opted to forego any serious desires for love at the moment.

Lamont Sides felt a tap on his shoulder as he hung up the phone. Turning around, his eyes met a hooded male figure in dark sunglasses.

"It's me." the figure whispered.

"Sev?" asked Lamont.

The mysterious man nodded in the affirmative.

"Man, why are you dressed like that?" Lamont playfully scoffed.

"Have you ever heard of 'going incognito'?" the man replied.

"Yes, but this is ridiculous and unnecessary. Nobody's here yet and even if they were I doubt anyone would know who you were." Lamont tried to stifle a laugh, but his efforts were futile.

The man let out a heavy sigh as he pushed back the hood of his sweatshirt and removed the sunglasses.

"You will never stop busting my chops, will ya?" the man whined.

Lamont threw his hands in the air and shot the man a look of agreement.

A leggy brunette sashayed up to the counter where Lamont was holding court with his previously cloaked cohort. "Hey, Sam!" the brunette squeaked.

"Hey, Sugar. You still working in this dump?" Sam chirped perfunctorily as he shot a playful sneer to Lamont.

Sugar chuckled as she ruffled Sam's golden mop of hair. "You silly goose – you ask me that every week!"

Lamont chimed in "Sugar, he knows that. He was just joshing you, girl."

Sugar was beautiful but not the sharpest tool in the shed. "Ohhhhh!" she sighed in relief. "I get it now." She bent over the front of the bar to retrieve a stack of drink napkins. Sam couldn't help himself as he eyed her slender and toned form. She had a delicious olive complexion and a tiny waist that was accentuated by the denim hot pants and form fitting t-shirt she sported. If there was one thing Sam appreciated about his friend Lamont's dive bar, it was the server's uniforms. Sugar sped away.

"Sev, don't even think about it." Lamont warned.

"I know she's off limits, but there's no law that says I can't look."

"When Puckerman pounds your head to a pulp for eyeing up his woman, don't come crying to me, is all I'm sayin'."

"Puckerman doesn't concern me. Also, why the hell do you still insist on calling me 'Sev'?"

Lamont snorted. "I'm just honoring your legacy."

Sam rolled his eyes and ran his fingers swiftly through his hair.

Lamont started again "How does that one go? Something about a super lover?"

Sam shook his head and waved his friend off as he skulked away.

Lamont laughed heartily to himself as he finished preparing the bar for the hopeful Wednesday night crowd.

A few hours later The Boom Box was filled to one-third of its capacity, which was actually better than expected. A light roar of conversation permeated the dark and smoky atmosphere. Sugar sauntered around; flirting with patrons as she took drink orders. Lamont tended bar. Sam was perched all alone in a corner with his hood placed back over his head. He took a few sips from his whiskey and ginger-ale combo. A familiar numbing came upon him which only a sweetly muddled glass of his favorite top-shelf liquor could provide. Resting his head against the wall, he attempted to let his mind wander.

A few minutes later, a sweetly husky and accented voice blared out over the aged sound system. The voice was that of Rory Flanagan, a recent transplant from Ireland who happily played M.C. for the night's pitiful festivities. "Alright, lads and lasses, our first performer is a Lima native who goes by the name of Miss Tina Cohen-Chang. It's her first night, so let's give our Boom Box virgin some love."

The crowd cackled.

Realizing the implications of his remarks, the achingly adorable Irishman blushed as his eyes met the amber eyes of the beautiful Asian woman he introduced. She flashed him a forgiving smile as she made her way to the stage with a ukulele in tow.

Tina played a few light notes before warbling out an original folksy composition about young love and heartache. It was the typical fare for open mic at The Boom Box. As Tina finished, she was met with a deft round of applause. Making her way to the bar, she was stopped by Sam.

"Excuse me, Miss Chang?"

"Oh, it's Cohen-Chang actually or you can call me C.C." Tina chirped brightly.

"C.C. – that's cute. Um, you were great up there."

"Really? I was so nervous, but I had fun. Thank you!"

"There was no need for nerves, you totally owned the audience. You've got a lot going for you."

A smile as big as the sky formed on Miss Chang's face. She let out a heavy breath as she blushed. "I don't know what to say" she began "I've never been so complimented on my music. I usually just keep it to myself…it's mostly a hobby."

Sam smiled brightly. "Well, I have some contacts in the business and I think if you got yourself a decent demo, you could be label ready in only a matter of months."

Tina took a small step back and clutched her chest. "Shut the front door!" she squealed. "No way!"

"Yeah, what you've got is unique and folk is making a comeback right now, so the timing couldn't be more perfect." Sam reached into his back pocket for his wallet. Handing her a business card he added "If you really want to pursue this, give me a call next week so we can discuss further."

Tina swiped the card out of his hand with zeal and held it to her chest, then quickly inspected the text. "Oh my god, thank you so much Mr. Evans! You'll definitely hear from me soon!" She smiled even bigger than before and skipped off to the bar.

It was 11:15pm when the last of the patrons shuffled out of The Boom Box. Another marginally successful open mic night had come and gone. Sugar sat cross legged at the bar as Lamont trashed the left over baskets of popcorn and nuts, but not before Sam grabbed a small handful of each for the road.

"So Sugar," Sam began slyly "do you need a ride home?"

Lamont cleared his throat obnoxiously loud as he narrowed his eyes at Sam. Sam flashed his patented half-smile and waited for the pretty woman's reply.

"My No-No's picking me up as usual, but thanks Sam, that's super duper sweet of you." Sugar squeaked.

"No-No?"

"Sure, it's my pet name for Noah!" Sugar giggled to herself as she lazily twirled a tendril of hair around her finger.

Suddenly the roar of an engine outside signaled Noah Puckerman's arrival.

Sugar squealed with delight. "Yay No-No's here! I'll see you next week Sam and I'll see you tomorrow night, Lamont." She hopped off of the bar stool and Sam's eyes couldn't help but trail her as she scampered to the door. Before she could reach the handle, the door flung open. Noah Puckerman towered over his lithe girlfriend's frame. "Hey babe, I gotta take a piss before we get outta here." Puck breezed past Sugar and nodded to Lamont as he headed for the men's room. Sam pursed his lips and rolled his eyes.

A few minutes later, Puck returned. He threw up his hand and nodded to Lamont on his way out, who was wiping down the bar one last time.

Sam uttered (what he thought was under his breath) "What a fucking douche."

Puck stopped in his tracks. Lamont tightened his grip on the cloth as he stopped. Sam's eyes were focused on the back wall. Puck questioned "What was that Evans?"

Sam pursed his lips tighter than before and turned slowly to face his accuser. When he offered no reply, Puck headed toward Sam and stopped an inch from his face.

Lamont barked "We don't want any trouble Puckerman. It's late, he's drunk, and I'm ready to go home." His plea fell on deaf ears because Puck abruptly questioned Sam again.

This time, Sam removed himself from the bar stool he occupied and stared straight into his opponent's eyes before uttering "I said, 'what a fucking douche', or I should say a fucking deaf douche." Sam let out an obnoxious laugh as he shoved his right shoulder forcefully. That was the final draw. Puck whipped out a pocket knife and grabbed Sam's pre-clenched jaw firmly.

Sugar screamed in horror. Lamont barked again. "Puckerman, come on man, there's no need for this!"

Puck roared "Shut up Sides, this isn't your fight!"

An inferno sparked inside Sam and he wrestled Puck's hand from his face. In the all too brief scuffle, Sam miscalculated the angle of a knife swipe and the blade landed deep into his lower left abdomen.

A tearful Sugar screamed out "Noah, what did you do?"

Lamont was frozen in disbelief. Puck sneered as he slowly backed away, his eyes fixed on Sam, who grunted in agony on the floor. Turning for the door, Puck jerked Sugar through the door with him. The screech of tires was almost deafening.

Sam's eyes fluttered as the realization of what happened rushed over him. Lamont rushed to Sam's aid and dialed 911 from his cell phone. He shook violently as he cradled his wounded friend. With his hand tightly pressed against the gash, Sam blinked hard and pointedly. On the brink of losing consciousness, he finally uttered "call Q…"


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks so much to everyone who has read Chapter 1 and left reviews. I'm unbelievably honored! You have no idea. Your interest will keep me writing and that is a really good thing. Thank you so, so much! I hope you like Chapter 2. I'm sorry if things might be slow moving but I promise, things will get extra good (I hope) in future chapters. Enjoy! **

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><p>Only 10 more minutes and Mercedes could call it a day. She'd worked a pretty peaceful night shift despite having covered an additional floor. As she double-checked all of her charts one last time, a commotion shook her concentration. Even for a small town with an aging population, the sound of sirens was a seldom occurrence in Lima. She quickly finished checking the last chart and made her way down to emergency receiving. The sirens were now silenced and she could see two familiar faces hovering around a body on a gurney – one that made perfect sense - the other bothered her deeply.<p>

Mike Chang was one of the sweetest EMT's you'd ever meet and one of Mercedes' closest friends. They were so close that Mercedes was the adopted aunt and godmother to Mike's young son, Aldo. Mike was a handsome widower and Lima native who possessed one of the kindest faces and dispositions a human could encounter.

The face on site that bothered Mercedes was that of her cousin, Lamont, whom she was certain, belonged at home and not in the back of an ambulance a little after midnight. As she took in the scene before her eyes, Mike looked up to catch her befuddled expression.

"We got a young one here, MJ" Mike called out.

"I see," she began. "Who – wait, Lamont, what are you doing here? What happened?"

Before Lamont could answer, the on-call E.R. physician and two nurses rushed over.

Dr. Anderson barked out orders with military precision and his team of emergency staff followed without fail. As they rushed the fresh victim away, Mercedes caught Mike's eyes again.

"We'll talk soon – gotta fill out paperwork – you know the drill." Mike said.

Mercedes nodded then turned her attention back to Lamont.

Lamont was a bit out of breath and visibly shaken. Mercedes had barely seen Lamont in such a state in all of their lives. The rumblings in her stomach felt so unusual. She waited for her cousin to catch his breath then attempted to question him again. Before she could get out the first syllable, Lamont blurted out "That bastard stabbed my boy!"

Mercedes blinked several times trying to comprehend.

"What? Who? Talk to me, Lamont." Mercedes retorted.

"Puckerman! Noah Puckerman , that bastard, he stabbed my boy, Sev."

Mercedes knew of Noah Puckerman well. "Puck the Prick", as he was more commonly known around town was not the nicest of characters and if what her cousin just relayed to her was the truth – "prick" was an understatement. Noah Puckerman was known to start and end several scuffles by flashing sharp steel, but to her knowledge, none had ever left a victim in need of emergency surgical attention.

"Is this true?" Mercedes asked breathlessly.

"Yes, 'Cedes. He did it at The Boom Box in front of me and Sugar. What a damn fool! I warned Sev about this. I warned him. They're both damn fools!" Lamont squawked.

"Baby, just calm down," Mercedes began. "Let me get you some coffee."

She moved to put her arm around her beloved cousin and they walked somberly to the hospital cafeteria. A few minutes passed and they were huddled in a cozy and bright corner of the stark white eatery which was empty. They sat and discussed the wild events of less than two hours previous. Lamont recounted how a seemingly dull night at The Boom Box ended in a testosterone filled scuffle which took all of 3 minutes to play out. He told her of his buddy Sev's self-imposed reputation as a reckless womanizer, but assured her that it was just a façade to hide the loneliness he felt since coming back to his hometown 6 weeks ago.

"Why haven't I met this Sev person, if he's such a good friend of yours?" Mercedes inquired in a serious tone.

"You would have met him if you'd come to Open Mic night."

Mercedes screwed up her face, and then nodded with a twinge of guilt.

"I'm sorry, Lamont. You know work is important to me and picking up extra shifts just gets me closer to getting out of here. But, it's not about me right now. How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine, I guess. I'm just worried about Sev…" Lamont trailed off and then rebounded by loudly exclaiming "Shit!"

Mercedes jumped at the unexpected expression and added "What is it?"

Lamont ran his fingers up and down his face and sighed forcefully.

"He told me to call Q. What time is it in New York right now?"

"It's the same time there as it is here."

Lamont let out a short breath, and softly grabbing Mercedes' hand uttered "Aw shit, that's right." Sheepishly he added "You know I can't think when my nerves are bad 'Cedes."

Mercedes flashed a half-smile and patted his hand gently. "I know, I know."

As Lamont reached for his cell phone Mercedes whispered "I'll give you some privacy." As she ambled away her mind was still on her cousin and the immense concern he had for this strange friend whom she'd never met, and if Dr. Anderson was unsuccessful, she might never meet. Stopping just outside the doors to the cafeteria, she fished the tiny gold crucifix she wore from under her uniform top and grasped it tightly. She closed her eyes and began to pray for the mysterious man known as Sev.

Half an hour later, handing the keys to her car over to Lamont, she sent him home with a firm hug and kiss on the cheek. Mercedes had told him that she would catch a ride with Mike. They'd make arrangements tomorrow for Lamont to return her car. She was glad that her cousin had calmed down after reassuring him of Dr. Anderson and his surgical team's competence. As Mercedes turned to walk into the E.R. she spotted Mike strolling down the hall with a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Hey MJ" he called out "You ready to go?" finishing with a bright smile.

"Sure am. It's been a rough one."

"Tell me about it." Mike added.

A few minutes later the two hopped into Mike's sedan. Mercedes was eerily quiet until Mike interrupted the silence.

"So, crazy night, huh?"

"Yeah, I've never seen Lamont so shaken. What's weird is that I've never even met this guy. I'm just praying everything's alright."

"I think it's going to be fine. Blaine's working on him, right?"

Mercedes responded with a simple "Mmmhmm."

She sighed heavily then spoke again. "Puck has really outdone himself this time. Sending somebody to the damn hospital? That boy is extremely out of control."

Mike shook his head. "I just pray that man never procreates. The cycle of idiocy must stop somewhere."

Mercedes chimed in "Hell, I can't believe he doesn't already have 5 baby mamas to be perfectly honest."

Mike let out a small chuckle. He took a sip of his coffee.

"MJ, when's the last time I saw you?"

"Uh…wow, I really can't remember."

"Exactly! You're working too hard."

"Mike, don't start, please."

"Hey, I'm not just pleading for myself here. You have a godson who asks why his aunt MJ suddenly disappears for weeks at a time. Before long, I'm going to have to invent some sort of drug abuse or super hero problem for you."

Mercedes rolled her eyes and shot her friend a critical look followed by a perfunctory "Boy, stop."

Mike chuckled to himself. He began again.

"All I'm saying is, we miss you and you need to have a life outside of St. Crispin's."

"I know Michael." Mercedes said firmly. She only called him Michael when he was stepping oh so lightly on her nerves. When he was really in trouble he was "Michael Morris Chang."

"Oh, here go hell come!" Mike exclaimed (with a random throwback to Calvin Tran, an early 2000's reality contestant from a cable show, which Mercedes forced Mike to watch while he was fighting a case of chicken pox).

Mercedes died laughing. Mike always knew how to disarm his sweet, yet often too serious dear friend.

He began again. "Why don't you join Aldo and me for movie night on Saturday? We're doing an 80's throwback triple feature. Just bring yourself. We'll supply all the concessions."

Mercedes looked up and thought a moment. It had been way too long since she'd seen that adorable face of her godson's and she felt very safe at the Chang residence. At one point it was like her second home, even if the main reason for her ever-presence was to aid her friend and godson while they grieved for the loss of their wife and mother. She gingerly tapped a finger to her lips and shot Mike a sideways glance.

"Alright." she growled in feigned annoyance.

Mike flashed a victorious smile and replied "Sweet!"

Mercedes smiled as she looked down at her cell phone. It was nearly 1:15am. A second later an involuntary yawn sprang forth. She was definitely going to feel the burn tomorrow morning. Normally, when her shift ended, she was in her car and ready to go one minute after the hour, but something inside told her to stay late and investigate the late night commotion. It was a good thing she did. Lamont was the only family she had nearby and it would have panged her to know he was dealing with something so traumatic all alone. She let out another yawn.

Mike piped up "Are you working in the morning?"

Letting out a third yawn she nodded with another simple "Mmmhmm."

Mike shook his head in derision. "I just worry about you."

"Mike, really, I'm fine. Things are just a little tight, money-wise, and I really need the extra hours. I'll slack off when things settle down."

"MJ – you know you can always come to me if there's something you really need. You're not _like_ family, you _are _family. You know that."

"I know, believe me. But, you also know that I am not about to take anybody's handouts, especially not from a single father with a technologically obsessed son – who always gives in to the puppy dog eyed requests of said son." Mercedes mentally patted herself on the back for that marginal burn.

Mike chuckled out of the knowledge that he had most definitely been served.

"You got me, but you know what I mean. I'm more than happy to loan you anything if it means more focus on your goal and more free time for socializing. And I can't believe I'm actually encouraging this behavior because when you get what you need, you'll leave me forever." He added sniffling noises and mock tears for greater comic effect.

"Boy, you are so silly…and way too sweet. Thank you. Really, if I am in dire need, I'll let you know, but for now, I've got everything covered."

"If you say so."

"I say so." Mercedes smiled proudly. "So," she began "what's the triple feature for Saturday night?"

"Good question. I thought we'd start with some Rocky IV."

Mercedes nodded her head in agreement.

"Then, we'll move onto Princess Bride."

Mercedes threw up her hand as if saying "Preach!"

"And to round off the night, Streets of Fire."

"I don't think I know that one." Mercedes piped up.

"Oh, you'll love it and I'm sure you know some of the songs. It's a little gritty, so I'm thinking Aldo might be zonked out by the time that rolls around anyway."

"Sounds like a plan."

They arrived at Mercedes' apartment. The two friends said their goodbyes and parted ways with a hug. Mike waited until he could see Mercedes was safely inside her 1st floor garden unit before driving away. Despite her exhaustion, she proceeded with her nightly ritual of washing her face, even though skipping this important action sounded incredibly good right now. After that was done, she slipped into a pair of long striped pajama pants and one of her favorite comfy shirts which was a gift from an old school friend. She rubbed her hand over the front of the shirt – the graphic reading "" which had chipped away and faded over time. For a fleeting moment she allowed a fun memory to pop in her head regarding the night she got that shirt. By the time she rolled down the covers and wriggled herself inside, the clock read 1:45am. She made sure her alarm for the "next morning" was set before her weighty eyelids dropped shut.

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><p>She had overslept, but that was to be expected. Her only concern was sneaking in unnoticed by Terry Schuester-Milligan, the Head Nurse in the post-op unit. Mercedes clocked in at 10:04am – over an hour late. Tardiness was Head Nurse Schuester-Milligan's biggest pet peeve and Mercedes cringed at the thought of being reprimanded for such an offense. Today she decided to wear her purple scrubs. If there was only one shining point of this day it would be that she felt good about the way she looked. Even in her mad dash to dress, she took time to put on her favorite matching plaid headband. It was a birthday present from little Aldo last year and she couldn't help but beam at the remembrance of her godson's adorably sloppy wrapping job and lopsided bow. He was just too cute for his own good, a trait he inherited from his father and late mother.<p>

She headed to the post-op unit's nursing station on the 8th floor. When she arrived, she saw no sign of the dreaded head nurse. Eliza Thurber, an early 40's RN sat at the desk typing away. "Good morning Eliza", Mercedes offered. Eliza looked up slowly with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, so you remember where the 8th floor is? That's interesting, since you were supposed to have reported here…."

Eliza glanced down at her desktop clock. She finished "….an hour and 16 minutes ago."

Mercedes pursed her lips and stopped her brow from furrowing as deeply as she wanted it to. "Eliza, please don't tell Terry. The last thing I need is to hear her mouth this morning."

"I'm no rat. It's just that it's very unlike you to be so tardy."

"Well, if you must know I was here last night when a patient came in through emergency. He's a friend of my cousin Lamont's. I was on my way out but I had to stay and make sure Lamont was ok."

"Speaking of emergency, the guy pulled through. He's in room 819 and he's all yours." Eliza grabbed a heavy silver cased hospital chart and thrust it into Mercedes hands. She began to thumb through it quickly. Looking at the stats, she noticed there was no mention of anyone named "Sev".

"Sam Evans?" she said aloud.

Eliza responded "Do you know the name?"

Mercedes' eyes fluttered quickly and her face screwed up in confusion. Her eyes darting side to side for a few seconds, she shook her head. "Why was Lamont calling him 'Sev' all night?"

"You know how men have odd nicknames for each other or parts of their anatomy. Could be one of those situations."

Mercedes shrugged her shoulders and thumbed through the chart again. Suddenly, a hand grazed her upper back. She turned around to meet a pair of watery green-hazel eyes. "Blaine!" she gasped. "I mean, Dr. Anderson." she corrected herself. Blaine squeezed her left shoulder and winked at Eliza who had suddenly snapped to attention, sitting upright in her desk chair and smiling goofily. Dr. Blaine Anderson had that affect on most of the nurses at St. Crispin's. In fact, he had that affect on most women wherever he went. There was only one catch; Dr. Blaine Anderson was an out and proud homosexual man and the current (and most likely permanent) boyfriend of Kurt Hummel.

"Hello beautiful. We missed you at this morning's meeting."

Mercedes tried to offer an explanation but Blaine interrupted his good friend by holding up his hand. He began "Don't worry about it. I alerted Terry that you were here later than expected to help out with the emergency. You should have no fears."

Her eyes widened in disbelief and her jaw dropped slightly. Could it be possible that Blaine's charms saved her from the wrath of Head Nurse Schuester-Milligan? As if he read her mind, Blaine nodded in the affirmative and Mercedes quickly pulled him to her and hugged him tightly. The ultra-handsome doctor smiled with the beauty and warmth of a sunrise. The kind and lovely nurse exhaled a deep and relieved breath before releasing him.

"Is that Sam Evans' chart?" Blaine started.

"Yes," Mercedes began, "I was just about to check in on him."

"Good thing. I was on my way there too. We'll go together."

The two floated down the hall quickly to room 819. There was no way Mercedes could be prepared for the man she would meet for the first time, who may or may not prefer to be called "Sev."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi everybody! Thank you so much for reading! I still can't believe my story has gotten such a positive response. **

**One note: As I'm still new to posting on the website, I make rookie goofs here and there. In the last chapter when I talked about Mercedes' old comfy t-shirt with a graphic - the formatting here didn't appreciate the way it was typed so I'm letting you know here that the graphic read "K- Arthur". **

**That is an important tidbit for the future and I didn't want anyone getting confused or thinking I'm a careless author. :) Okay, so, here's Chapter 3. I love feedback (some of it has made me LOL - hard!) and it's always appreciated. *huggles***

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><p>Sam's eyes fluttered open as he heard a gentle knock on the door to his hospital room. He was still quite groggy from the effects of his post operational IV drip. The sound of the door handle moving and a sweet, yet unfamiliar voice asking "Mr. Evans?" cued him to open his eyes fully and try to adjust upright. He winced at the pain on his left side and groaned in aggravation as he was forced to abandon the effort. His eyes settled on two kind-faced figures.<p>

"Mr. Evans?" the sweet and unfamiliar voice repeated. With Blaine following close by, Mercedes made her way to the right side of Sam's bed, while Blaine flanked on the left. Sam nodded in response. His eyes shot from left to right and back again.

"Good morning," Blaine began "I'm Dr. Anderson. Do you know where you are?"

Sam lightly rubbed his hand over his left side and retorted "Yeah, the hospital."

Mercedes' eyes were steady as she studied the handsome face of Mr.  
>Evans; the formerly but still mostly mysterious character known as "Sev." Albeit ruffled from the commotion of being mortally wounded and emergency surgery, his brassy hair was a pleasant site to her. For as long as she could remember, she'd had a secret thing for blondes. Sam Evans also possessed a pair of generously hued asparagus green eyes which Mercedes could already tell were going to make interactions difficult. Next, she stopped at his perfectly formed nose. It wasn't too small or too large and had the right balance of point and smoothness. Onto his perfectly formed philtrum, or as it's more commonly called "cupid's bow"; that adorable depression between the nose and upper lip. Finally her eyes settled on his garnet red pillow lips. It was then that she tilted her head and a puzzled expression set on her face. Those lips were special lips. They were uncommon and yet very familiar to her in color, shape and size. Mercedes was certain she'd seen those lips before but at the moment, her memory couldn't jog itself quickly enough. Her train of thought was interrupted as she felt 2 pairs of eyes staring at her and a noticeable silence befell the room.<p>

"Nurse Jones?" Dr. Anderson asked.

Mercedes snapped out of her mind drift and countered with "I'm sorry? What?"

Blaine raised an eyebrow quizzically and added "Can you confirm that Mr. Evans' next of kin has been contacted?"

"Oh, um, I can check on that right now, if you'd like."

"Yes, please." Blaine said with a nod and smile.

Mercedes made a sharp heel turn for the door and once it clicked behind her, Blaine continued.

"Mr. Evans, you had a gastrointestinal perforation."

"I got stabbed in the gut – yeah, I'm aware of that." Sam groaned slightly. The remembrance of the piercing pain involuntarily threw his head back. He blinked again and returned his eyes to Blaine who was doing his best to stifle a catty eye roll.

"I made the necessary repairs and you should heal nicely. We do want to keep you under observation for a few days to make sure everything checks out and to monitor for infection."

Sam sighed heavily and wryly uttered "Thanks for the stitch-up, Doc."

As Mercedes approached the nursing station she could see Eliza conversing with a thin blonde woman. As she moved closer the woman quickly glanced in her direction. Mercedes instantly noticed her striking beauty and expensive style. Eliza then gestured in Mercedes' direction and the woman turned her body and gaze more directly to the nurse in brilliant purple scrubs and fashionable headband.

The woman uttered a brief "Thank you" to Eliza then marched rapidly to Mercedes.

"Nurse Jones? I'm Quinn Evans. I need to see Sam." the woman demanded.

Taken aback by the sudden forcefulness, Mercedes stopped short. She simply nodded her head in agreement and uttered, "Yes, right this way."

In the brief moment it took the two women to walk the forty paces to room 819, Mercedes' heart sank. She was just certain the impossibly beautiful, sharply dressed woman sharing the Evans surname was his wife. Why had she dared to let herself fantasize so quickly about chatting up the handsome and mysterious friend of her cousin whom she foolishly assumed would be single and completely available to her? Gritting her teeth for a second, she turned to Quinn Evans and flashed a brave smile before giving a cursory knock and turn of the handle.

Following immediately behind Mercedes, Quinn breezed through and let out a massive sigh as her eyes met Sam's. Blaine blurted out "Quinn?"

Mercedes looked up and surveyed her friend for he had uttered the impossibly beautiful "life ruiner" – er – woman's name with a touch of familiarity.

"Blaine Anderson?" Quinn yelped. "What in the world?"

He let out a hearty gasp and the two moved in unison to embrace. At the same time Sam shot Mercedes a questioning look which she happened to return. As Quinn and Blaine released their embrace, Blaine shook his head in glad disbelief. He gestured in Sam's direction and started "So, this is your –"

Quinn interrupted "Yes!"

"Wow! Small world!" Blaine retorted excitedly.

It was at this precise moment that Mercedes began to abhor mind-reading. "Quinn's - what? What?" Mercedes screamed internally. She shook her head slightly. Sam caught this and scrunched his nose. He had mused incorrectly that Nurse Jones shared his annoyance with the overpowering volume of Quinn and Blaine's exchange.

Blaine began "Well, I'm finished up here. We'll give you two your privacy." He shot an electric smile to Mercedes as he placed his hand on her back and guided her out the door ahead of him.

Once the door clicked shut, Mercedes whispered "Blaine, how do you know Quinn Evans?"

Still smiling from the speedy reunion, he started, "We graduated from Lassiter Prep. Man, it's been ages since I've seen her. She looks amazing – always has." Blaine sighed. He may have been gay, but he could still appreciate a world-class beauty. Mercedes rolled her eyes with an almost painful force. She reached up and scratched her eyebrow; partially checking to make sure at least one eye was still in its socket. "Oh." Mercedes muttered.

"Why don't you give them about five minutes and then interrupt? With all my jabbering, I disturbed your patient check-up." Blaine said, placing his hand on her shoulder.

Mercedes chirped "Will do."

Blaine glanced up at the clock near the nursing station and finished "I've got rounds to finish up and I don't know if I'll be back before Quinn leaves. Would you mind giving her my cell number and let her know I'd love to grab dinner if she has some time?"

"Will do. " Mercedes chirped again. She was filled with a combination of annoyance and deep interest. As much as she disliked the thought of further contact with the impossibly beautiful Evans couple at this point, she did take comfort in (hopefully) pumping Blaine and Lamont for more information on the mysterious "new" blondes.

Quinn dragged the mahogany-colored chair to the left side of Sam's bed. Placing her shiny black Kate Spade bag on one of the rickety arms, she slowly sat down, crossed her legs, and sighed heavily. Looking into Sam's eyes, she began "Well, I'm glad you're still alive."

Sam just stared at her. She was as beautiful as ever and smelled distinctly of roses. He took in a deep breath to fully absorb the flowery aroma. His eyes darted to her perfectly manicured hands and gazed intently at the gargantuan diamond ring on her left hand.

"What took you so long?" Sam tried to tease with a quarter smile.

Quinn was unimpressed with his attempt at mockery. "Samuel, what the hell happened?"

He let out a tiny snort in derision. "Don't pretend you actually give a damn about what happens to me."

She sighed and started smoothing down the front of her sleek black blazer. She pretended to pick off pieces of lint as she replied in a sing-song manner "It's always the same thing with you. Nobody loves me. Nobody cares for me. It's exhausting Sam."

"You left me." He groaned.

"We both know our separation wasn't up to me." She asserted. "Also, it's been 6 years. Get over it. I'm not dead. You're more than welcome to see me in New York anytime. Your absence is and always has been self-imposed."

Sam pursed his lips and turned his head away from Quinn. In response, she added "And I see _that_ hasn't changed either. I'm convinced Dominic inherited that from you. It just drives me nuts. It's such a bitch face. Ugh!"

Sam's eyes flickered with delight and he was unsuccessful in hiding a smile. Turning his head back to Quinn, he asked "And how is my nephew?"

She confessed, "Taking after his Uncle Sam more and more everyday. Artie and I wonder if he's really ours sometimes."

"Why didn't you bring the whole crew with you?"

"Olivia's in callbacks for a national Mattel ad, Dominic's got a soccer tournament, and it's 9 days before fashion week, so Artie is holding down the agency fort. I was only able to get away because I thought you might be dying. At least that's how your friend Lamont made it seem."

Sam nodded lazily. Quinn continued "The family sends their love. Olivia was broken up because she didn't have time to make you a get-well card."

Sam's eyes twinkled at the mention of his delightful niece. He cleared his throat and started "You give her a bear hug from Uncle Sammy when you get back."

Quinn flashed an Evans half smile and retorted "Why don't you give it to her yourself? Dominic would be over the moon to see his favorite uncle. Artie would like to see you too, you know. I think he worries about you as much as I do, sometimes."

"If he was so worried about me, then he wouldn't have stolen my twin sister away to the other side of the country when I needed her the most."

"Marriage and children hardly constitute stealing away, Sam. I swear, you should have foregone music and gotten into acting. Your dramatics are worthy of awards, little brother."

"If only I'd been born four minutes sooner - I'd get the joy of calling _you_ 'little' all the time."

Quinn chuckled "I'm fairly certain my maturity and poise would have prevailed in everyone's eyes despite that. Nevertheless, you're avoiding the real issue here. Why do, or I should say, did you, have a knife plunged into your belly last night?"

"Please, don't be so tactful Quinn." Sam playfully lashed.

"As you well know, beating around the bush has never been my strong suit, little brother."

"Let's just say I was 'defending your honor'."

"Excuse me?"

"Lamont didn't give you all the details?"

"It appears that way. What aren't you telling me?"

Sam twitched and thought a moment before speaking. Lightly shaking his head, he decided to spill "Puck did this."

Quinn was frozen. She swallowed hard then crossed her arms firmly. Blinking several times, she slowly and quietly retorted "What?"

"Yes, not only is he an attempted rapist of high school girls, he's a switch blade carrying douche bag."

Quinn clasped her hands and brought them briefly to her mouth. She shook her head furiously and let out an audible sigh through flared nostrils. Her mossy eyes welled up and she swiped a delicate finger at the outer corners to prevent the salty droplets from staining her porcelain face.

Nearly five minutes had passed. Mercedes crinkled up her nose and let out a heaving sigh before taking the now dreaded stroll to room 819. If she opened that door and that impossibly handsome man was kissing his impossibly beautiful wife, she would certainly regurgitate the breakfast bar she inhaled earlier on her morning commute. Again, she offered a cursory knock and twist of the handle. To her delight, she registered Quinn sitting in a chair at an appropriate distance from Sam. She also noticed the faint sound of sniffles emitting from "Mrs. Evans".

"Oh, I'm sorry to interrupt" she began sweetly "I just need to do a little morning check up on Mr. Evans. It wont take long."

Quinn was thankful for the interruption and swiftly jumped out of her seat. "Oh, yes, please. I was so worried about him, I just breezed in. I need to use the ladies room, anyway. Where is it?"

"Take a right out the door and it's the 4th door on your left. You can't miss it."

Quinn smiled sweetly and replied "Thank you….Miss? I'm sorry, what was your name again?"

"Jones. Nurse Jones" Sam declared.

Quinn eyed her brother as did Mercedes for neither of them expected "Stitches McGee" to know her name. Mercedes countered with a small chuckle and added "yes. Nurse Jones." She smiled brightly as her eyes locked with Sam's. Her stomach fluttered briefly. Sam flashed yet another half smile, this time with a hint of brightness Mercedes had not yet seen. She liked what she saw more and more. Quinn nodded and exited.

Mercedes moved to check his IV bag – it was in standard working order, so she moved over to the left side of the bed.

"Let's do a quick blood pressure check, I'll help you pick out a breakfast option, and then I'll be out of your hair for a few hours." She said with radiance.

The crackle of the blood pressure cuff's Velcro strip was nearly deafening. Sam stared at Nurse Jones quietly; taking in her soft and feminine features. He started with the patterned headband peeking out over her lustrous mass of dark brown waves which fell on either side of her face. Soft eyebrows, arched in detail, hovered just above a pair of calm and chocolaty brown eyes. Sam always had a weakness for obviously pretty brown-eyed girls, especially ones with adorable button noses. His eyes dropped to her luscious lips which were lacquered in a shiny baby pink tinted gloss. His eyes crinkled as he quickly let his mind fantasize about the meeting of those lips with his own. The man liked to kiss and it was rare that he spied a fellow pair of pillow lips which he wagered could match his own in comfort and technique.

As men are prone to do, he let his eyes dip down to survey the rest of her body. Scrubs are not flattering in the general sense, but it was still apparent that Nurse Jones was a proudly curvaceous lady. Her complexion complimenting purple scrubs were the opposite of baggy and obstructing. He could see that she was blessed with generous portions of bosom and buttocks. Her deep brown skin was clear, even, and glistened slightly. He detected the exotic scent of her coconut infused body butter which was pleasing. He also detected the lack of a wedding band which also pleased him. This nurse looked and smelled fantastic and Sam began to wonder why he hadn't gotten himself stabbed by that maniac, Puck, a few weeks earlier.

Mercedes could feel Sam's eyes on her, from top to bottom, and had she been a less confident woman, it would have bothered her. He was married in her eyes, and even though his "wife" was gorgeous, his shameful display of questionable interest made her feel a little taller. She knew looks were just looks and they would never lead to anything else, even if deep down she would gladly let him lead her anywhere – provided he were appropriately single and stitch free. She wanted to giggle when she felt his large bicep flex under her initial touch as she slipped on the blood pressure cuff. Perhaps she let her fingers linger longer than they needed, but it had sadly been eons since she touched a man, let alone one as attractive and (probably) well muscled as Sam Evans. She flashed him a sweet look and happened to glance at his jaw which was sporting a brassy growth of stubble. How had she missed that before? It was incredibly sexy to her and she added that to her mental checklist of "Sam Evans inconveniences." She most certainly couldn't allow herself to imagine the titillating scrape of that brassy scruff on her cheek, her jaw, her lips, her neck, her breasts… "Stop it, girl!" She mentally chastised.

"Your blood pressure's a few points higher than normal, but I'm sure that's just the stress of what you've been through." Mercedes proclaimed as she removed the cuff, grazing that magnificent bicep for the last time.

Sam felt fine except for the excitement he was starting to feel in his nether regions. He almost blushed at the truth behind his vitals elevation. For half a second, Mercedes jest to herself that she was the cause for those extra blood pressure points, but she knew better.

"What's your name?" Sam asked, startling the lovely nurse.

"Uh…Nurse Jones…" she trailed off but not before she shot the handsome man a slightly mocking side eye.

He playfully rolled his eyes and let out a chuckle "I meant your first name. That is, unless against it's against policy to divulge such confidential information?" he finished in a seductively ribbing manner.

She nodded her head a bit sheepishly and answered, "It's Mercedes."

"Mercedes." Sam purred, and added "I don't think I've ever met a Mercedes. I've driven them, but never met one. That's nice. Very pretty."

"Thank you." she politely replied.

Mr. Evans was unaware of just how much he was driving the Mercedes in front of him wild by his sheer existence. Miss Jones was unaware of how badly Mr. Evans found himself wanting to drive the Mercedes in front of him, with the intent of hugging all curves.

She continued "For the next few days, you're on a strict diet, so I have some soup and broth suggestions for you." She whipped out the cafeteria menu and added "The garden vegetable and chicken broths are good."

Sam screwed up his face like a displeased infant. Mercedes couldn't help but chuckle.

"I know, it's not the ideal breakfast, but we want you to heal properly and quickly and solid foods are forbidden at this stage." Her tone was a blend of gentility and firmness. Sam nodded and responded with "Chicken broth it is." Mercedes beamed and patted his forearm. A muscular forearm with baby soft golden hairs…. "Stop it, girl!" she mentally chastised again.

"Good news is: you can have all the applesauce and Jell-O you want!"

Sam found her sudden excitement too adorable for words and offered a light chuckle.

"You laugh," she began "but good hospital desserts are so hard to find. St. Crispin's is the only one in the county to offer strawberry flavored applesauce! Ok, I led the crusade to get that added to the menu."

Sam's head fell back against the pillow and he clutched his left side as he laughed heartily.

"Oh..." he playfully groaned "don't make me laugh like that."

Mercedes was both tickled to know her humor touched the handsome man and felt a little guilty for causing him the slightest bit of pain.

"Sorry, sorry!" she uttered half seriously. "Well," she started "I'll make sure they get your breakfast order down stairs. And, I think that's it for now." As she turned around to gather up her tools and paperwork, Sam's face and mood deflated. He wasn't ready for her to leave and he surely wasn't ready for Quinn to return and have a serious discussion about his attack.

Suddenly, Mercedes stopped and looked back into those dangerously perfect, green eyes of Sam's. "I almost forgot. Dr. Anderson wanted me to give his cell phone number to your wife in case she was available for dinner. He just wanted to catch up."

Sam screwed up his face. "My wife?"

"Quinn?" Mercedes added carefully.

Sam chuckled to himself. "I'm not married."

"Oh, sorry…" Mercedes died a little. If she wasn't his wife, surely she was the ex-wife with whom he was reconcil-

"Quinn's my twin sister."

It was in this moment that Mercedes pulled off the greatest acting job of her life. Her insides did cartwheels of joy and her heart raced hopefully, but her outside demeanor was that of the utmost composure.

"That makes so much sense. She's gorgeous. There's definitely a resemblance…." Mercedes trailed off, realizing she had just inadvertently given herself away.

Sam smiled with relish, for he accurately gleaned an unintentional compliment on his physical beauty from the bubbly and too-cute-for-her-own-good nurse.

Mercedes refused to look at him again until she finished scribbling down Blaine's number on a scrap of a paper. After buying herself a few extra seconds by over-darkening each digit, she finally got up the courage to meet those lovely moss eyes she had so easily desired. With a half smile that hid a pool of embarrassment, she softly handed the paper to Sam. His face flickered as he countered with "why don't you write down your number too?" She froze with fear and was graciously rescued by Quinn's return from the ladies room.

Mercedes couldn't bring herself to respond so she posted an overly toothy smile followed by an airy chuckle. She swiftly moved for the door and cast a departing smile at Quinn: life-ruiner, no more.

Once safely outside, she clutched her small golden crucifix again and prayed: for guidance, courage, the ability not to kick herself forever, and another chance to give Sam Evans her number.


	4. Chapter 4

**Helloooooo! All of the comments are still cracking me up and leaving me with huge smiles on my face as I read them. Thank you all so much again! In this chapter: a little mystery is revealed...enjoy! :)**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 4 <strong>

Quinn moved to reclaim her seat. As she sat down, she remarked "I see you're working that pesky charm of yours again." Sam jutted his bountiful lips forward in a playful pout. "Don't give me that," Quinn replied "that woman's smile was a mile wide. I almost feel sorry for her. She's got no idea what she's walked into."

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe she was flirting with me?" Sam queried. His sister didn't hesitate to hurl a disparaging look in his direction. He couldn't help but laugh to himself, for he knew his self-defense had been ill-conceived. A moment later he glanced back at a serious faced Quinn. The pall that had been briefly lifted had returned with a vengeance and Sam knew he was destined for a lengthy scolding.

"Sam, why were you even in proximity to Noah Puckerman? That's just asking for the worst kind of trouble."

"I'm the victim here, Quinn. I think I've got the gash to prove it."

"I'm in no way undermining your plight. It's just unconscionable to me that you might engage him in any way, knowing our history."

"Puck's still the same shit-for-brains he was 18 years ago. Still latching onto the hottest little thing he can get his grubby hands on and throwing them away like garbage. And let's not forget how his family is in bed with Lima PD."

Quinn glanced down at her wedding ring and began to twist it slowly as she mulled over what she was hearing.

"With that said, I'm assuming no police report has been filed?"

"Jesus, Quinn, did you hear what I just said? Good old Sheriff Hudson's going to turn a blind eye to cousin Puck's havoc. That's what his father did and "Little Finn's" carrying out daddy's legacy. Look, I survived, that's all that matters. This is the same old Lima with the same old small town politics and cover-ups that we ran away from 18 years ago." Sam's face was red with aggravation and he could feel his blood pressure elevating with each weighty breath he exhaled.

"But you have witnesses this time. I've got no idea what his newest little trollop will do, but surely your friend Lamont will speak up for you? Noah can't just go around stabbing people without some sort of legal recourse."

"There's not enough money in Ohio to break the Hudson-Puckerman oath of treachery." Sam hissed.

With that terminal statement, Quinn dropped her head and grasped at her temples, which were now throbbing from anxiety. She felt helpless. It was a helplessness which she'd felt before, only then, she had been the unfortunate victim of a Noah Puckerman assault.

May 16, 2009 should have been a celebratory occasion for Quinn Evans. That was the night of the Freshman Formal at Lassiter Prep. That year, the co-eds from Lassiter welcomed the freshman class of Dalton Academy, and its sister branch the Keller-Bruce School for Girls to join them for an end of year bash. It was rare that the three schools interacted for reasons other than academic and sporting competitions. After several student requests for social integration, the Lassiter administration agreed to extend an invitation to the region's remaining schools of prestige.

Quinn and Sam were as close as ever, which surprised their parents as the twins, to their initial upset, had been accepted to differing schools for their foray into high school. Quinn was a bubbly and popular freshman at Lassiter while Sam struggled to find good footing at Dalton – an all boys academy. Eventually, Sam had risen within the ranks of his class and made fast friends with several upperclassmen, including Jesse St. James, the leader of the nationally renowned glee club: The Warblers.

The twins had decided to coordinate their outfits for the night. Quinn donned a lovely gossamer peach gown with cap sleeves, white high heeled sandals and her hair fashioned in a neat up-do; finished with a peach rose accoutrement. Sam went with the standard black tuxedo and bow-tie combo; finished with sleek wing tips and a peach rose tucked in his chest pocket. Mr. and Mrs. Evans snapped an obscene amount of photos that evening. Pose after pose, Quinn flashed a megawatt smile while Sam inched by with a spirited one-half version. The Evans twins were a blonde vision. Their well-to-do and attractive dates (Blaine Anderson and Rachel Berry, a Keller-Bruce attendee) considered themselves lucky to have one on their arm for the night.

The twins danced the night away to the likes of Lady Gaga and The Black Eyed Peas as well as upbeat classics and slow-dance favorites. Sam and Rachel made fools of themselves by square dancing during Bel-Biv-Devoe's "Poison" while Quinn and Blaine were the center of attention as they wowed the crowd of awkward 15 year olds with their passable Kid 'n' Play routine. Thus far, it had been the greatest night of their young lives. No parents, a more lenient faculty, and all the sugary treats Sam Evans could shovel down his ever-ready gullet.

Eventually a series of slow songs sent a hyper-emotional Rachel Berry into hysterics. A confounded Sam chased after her down the foreign halls of Lassiter. Quinn was one of few students privy to Blaine's homosexuality and seeing him nestled in a dark corner chatting up a doe eyed Dalton boy filled her with amusement and pride for her dear friend. She grabbed her purse from the coat check and headed for the restroom to freshen her make-up. Her cell phone beeped; she had 2 missed calls and 6 texts from Noah Puckerman.

Unbeknownst to anyone in her family or even her dear friend Blaine, Quinn had secretly started a romance with the town bad boy. The attraction between the two was instant and despite Puck's two-term senior status at McKinley High School, the older Evans twin was smitten beyond belief. They would meet whenever possible: before school, during the occasional off-campus lunch, after school, and at out-of-town school events. She was quickly dazzled by Noah's mature take on life and his gritty speech excited her refined sensibilities. Until this night, she had only come in contact with the truly frightening aspects of Puck's personality via anecdotes relayed under the influence of hard liquor. She fooled herself into thinking that she was untouchable because of her beauty and kindness.

At 15, Quinn was still pure and mostly inexperienced. She had resisted his sexual advances for several months and promised indulgence when the time was "right." The night of the Freshman Formal would be Noah's final attempt at conjugation.

She scrolled through the missed text messages which were a mixture of "Where's my lady at?" and "I need my Quinny now". She listened to her voicemail and could tell that he was already quite inebriated. He alerted her that he would be at the far corner of the parking lot and wished to rendezvous at 10pm. It irked her when he drank so furiously and got behind the wheel, but she forgave all of his foibles when met with his soft caresses and ardent kisses.

Quinn darted out into the hallway adjacent to the ballroom. When she saw no signs of adult interference, she made her way to the exit. Her heart fluttered at the thought of seeing her love.

"Where you going, Quinn?" a voice piped up.

She turned around to see her gangly, yet handsome brother. Her stomach lurched. "Oh, uh, it got a little stuffy in there. I just need some air. What are you doing out here?"

"Rachel's a nut ball. The girl started crying because 'Mariah Carey sings like an angel.' At least that's what I thought she was saying. There were lots of tears and snot and squeaking." Sam huffed, and then chased it with a light chuckle.

"Well, you should make sure she's alright." Quinn urged.

"She's in the restroom. Why don't I join you outside? I could use some air myself."

Quinn panicked. "No!" she yelped.

Sam jumped and shot her a quizzical look.

"I just…it's that time of the month" she stammered, "I need some 'girl time' alone."

Sam screwed up his face in mild disgust and retorted "Gross."

Suddenly, Rachel Berry emerged red-eyed from the nearby restroom.

"You should handle that." Quinn urged again and bolted for the door.

Moments later, Quinn hopped in the passenger side of Puck's Ford SUV. He greeted her with a sloppy kiss reeking of beer and marijuana. His white t-shirt and jeans were stained with what looked and smelled horribly of manure. She immediately pushed him off of her.

"Noah?" she squealed in disgust, "You're filthy and you're drunk."

"Take it or leave it, bitch." He replied nastily.

Quinn was struck with horror. For all of his foul language and questionable behavior, he'd never insulted her as such.

"How dare you?" she yelled.

Noah stared back at her blankly for a beat, then giggled. His speech slurring, he started "C'mon Q-Quinny…your Puckerdoodle didn't mean it."

She huffed "I don't like it when you're like this. And why are you so filthy?"

"I thought that's what you liked about me…how filthy I am?" Puck lunged for Quinn and pulled her forcefully to him. She tried harder than ever to wriggle away, but to no avail. He began kissing her and she felt a sickness rise from the pit of her stomach of which she'd never felt before.

"Noah, stop it. STOP IT!" she screeched.

He ignored her pleas and moved his hands to the bottom of her dress. He pushed the hem away and snaked his hands over her thighs until meeting the waist band of her panties.

"What are you doing?" she screamed as a scorching waterfall of tears streamed down her face.

"I'm taking what's mine." He seethed.

"Please don't do this. I'm not ready! Noah, please." Quinn whimpered.

"Shut up you little slut!" He roared.

Sam and Rachel stood near the punch bowl watching other couples slow dance. It had been several minutes since his sister had gone out for some fresh air. Something didn't sit right with him. "Rachel, did you see my sister come back?"

"I don't think so."

"Will you be okay here for a minute? I just want to make sure she's ok."

"Sure. I'll be right here, Sam."

Sam made his way outside and saw no sign of Quinn. The parking lot was mostly empty except for a black SUV parked under a street lamp with the motor still running. Suddenly the passenger side door of the SUV sprang open. Sam could see pale skin and flowing peach fabric rustling violently and suddenly being pulled back in. As if Sam was on fire, he bolted in the direction of the ruckus.

Quinn screamed "Help!" Sam ran harder than he'd ever run in his life. His pulse was sharp and his breath was labored.

"Quinn!" Sam howled. Within seconds he arrived at the vehicle and whipped the passenger door open. He spied his sister squealing in pain as she tried to fight off her attacker.

"Take your goddamn hands off my sister!" Sam roared. Quinn managed to scratch Puck's face just before Sam jerked her out of the vehicle.

"You fucking bitch!" Puck bellowed.

Sam and Quinn breathed heavily as they watched him speed away, the passenger side door to his SUV, still ajar, clanking back and forth.

"Are you okay?" Sam said breathlessly.

"I'm…." Quinn tried to respond, but could only collapse in tears as Sam cradled her tightly.

As the two made their way safely inside the doors to the school, Quinn uttered "I don't want anyone to know. You can't say anything, Sam. Do you hear me?"

"I won't. I won't." He assured his sister as he hugged her tightly and gently pat down her hair.

Later that night, Sam convinced his sister to tell their parents exactly what happened. Weakly, she replayed the night's frightening events and Sam held her hand throughout. Mr. and Mrs. Evans were obviously mortified and immediately called the authorities. To their shock and awe, they were met with discouraging apathy from Sheriff Finn Hudson, Sr. With no witnesses to the attack and no physical evidence, Lima PD spat in the face of justice. It wasn't long before rumors abound. Puck had been untraceable for several weeks following the assault and Mr. and Mrs. Evans grew increasingly unnerved. No longer feeling safe in the town where their children were born and reared, they moved west to California; finally settling in the wealthy Bel-Air community. In a short time, most of Lima erased The Evans family from its memory.

"Sam, why don't you come back to New York with me? You know we have more than enough room. You'd have your own wing. There'd be no time restraints."

Sam just stared at his sister. He could see the worry in her lovely face and he couldn't deny the guilt he felt for bringing up those horrid memories.

"I'm not a baby and I'm not your responsibility – no matter how much crap I give you. I've got to do my own thing."

"It's not that I'm babying you. I just worry. I don't think it's safe here. Can't you 'find yourself' somewhere closer to your loved ones? There's loads of undiscovered talent in New York and the east coast in general. This just isn't the place for my litt-"

She stopped herself from using that dreaded word of Sam's "-for my brother."

Sam clenched his jaw and sighed. "I can take care of myself and that's the end of this discussion."

"Your obstinacy is showing." Quinn rebutted.

"Damn right." Sam countered with a snort.

"Will you at least promise to visit soon? You've got to give me something."

Sam smiled wanly and nodded. Suddenly, he remembered the scrap of paper "Nurse Sexy" had given him. He handed it off to Quinn and added "Dr. Anderson wanted you to call him. He wants to grab dinner and catch up if you have time. Speaking of time: how long were you planning to stay?"

"I wasn't sure. I planned for 3 days tops in case you weren't near death – which I can clearly see you aren't." She registered Sam's mock offense and he paused as she threw up a firm hand and added "not that I was aspiring to that for you. I really am glad that you're alright. I don't know what I would have done otherwise." After mulling over her obligations at home and assessing Sam's current state, she decided to stick around for her intended length of stay. "You can't get rid of me that easily and it would be wonderful to see Blaine again, so I'll be here until Sunday."

Sam smiled brighter than before. "I'm already holed up at The Double Tree. If you want, you can just stay in my room. I don't know when they'll let me out of this place."

"Sounds like a plan." Quinn chuckled to herself and added "You know, we should just ask your new girlfriend when you'll be released."

Sam pursed his lips and turned his head away.

"Ugh! That damn bitch face!" Quinn huffed. Sam giggled slightly to himself as his sister just shook her head.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door and a turn of the handle. Mercedes opened the door slowly and peeked around the corner. "Breakfast!' she chirped brightly. Sam tried to sit up at attention as much as possible and Quinn eyed this quietly with delight. Gingerly placing a tray of chicken broth, lime jell-o, room temperature water and strawberry applesauce on the mobile room tray; she slid it over to Sam's chest. When he noticed the applesauce, his eyes lit up.

"I took a chance on the strawberry applesauce. I hope you like it." Mercedes offered with an enormous smile. Her deep brown eyes twinkled even under the fluorescent lights.

'I'm sure I'll love it. Thank you Mercedes." Sam said with a steady gaze and eye twinkle of his own.

Quinn was pleased as punch and couldn't help herself by interjecting "First name basis already?"

Mercedes smiled sheepishly and smoothed down the front of her scrubs. Sam shot Quinn a sweetly vicious look.

She finished "Nurse Jones…Mercedes, please be careful with this one. He's quite the flirt and I don't want you getting in trouble with your husband or boyfriend because you weren't properly warned."

Mercedes' head shot up and directing her response to Quinn said "Oh, I'm single." She glanced quickly at Sam who had suddenly become very interested in the lines and wrinkles of his hands. She smiled a small smile to herself, wondering if he were the tiniest bit embarrassed.

Quinn piped up "Well, then you especially better watch out. 'Single' is his favorite type of lady." She finished with a playful giggle that Mercedes mimicked.

"Ok, well, eat up, Mr. Evans. I'll be back in a few hours to check your dressing and vitals again. Let me know if you need anything else. Miss Evans-"

Quinn interjected "Actually, you can just call me Quinn. I'm sure I'll be seeing a lot of you for the next few days and I'm the jealous type – little brother can't be the only one on a first name basis with the very pretty nurse." She flashed a ridiculously beautiful smile and Mercedes returned with the same.

Giggling "Ok, Quinn, it is." Mercedes exited.

"We are in a fight." Sam hissed playfully.

"Little brother, I just did you the biggest favor of all." Reaching into her handbag, she withdrew her cell phone and began to dial Blaine's number. As she waited to leave a voice mail she added "Just make sure I get a good seat at the wedding. Eat up."

Sam just shook his head as he brought a heaping spoonful of delicious strawberry applesauce to his mouth.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks again to everyone gracious enough to read and comment on my story. Again, I laughed my hiney off at some of the comments. Please keep them coming and it's interesting to hear where you think the story might be going. Hope this chapter serves everyone well. More mysteries revealed! Wahooo! Happy reading! =)**

**One last thing: I'm hoping it's obvious that this story takes place way in the future. For clarification the story began on Wednesday, February 17, 2027. Currently, it's Thursday February 18, 2027. I just realized how evil I am - something bad happening to a Glee character in my story on the actor who portrays that character's birthday. hahahaha Cest la vie. :P  
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><p><strong>CHAPTER 5<strong>

After a few hours of catching up, it was nearly 4pm and the twins were fast asleep. The physical exhaustion of trauma and surgery for Sam and the effects of an impromptu red eye flight for Quinn had caught up to them. Mercedes was so busy attending to other patients that she completely forgot about the appointment with Lamont to return her car. She happened to take a quick break and saw a missed call and voice message from her cousin. Assuming she'd be available as they had planned the night before, Lamont headed to St. Crispin's and was directed to find her on the 8th floor. Mercedes made her way back to the post-op recovery floor to find Eliza chatting up her cousin. Eliza was flirting shamelessly and Mercedes almost hated to interrupt.

"Hey Lamont! Sorry I missed your call."

"Don't worry about it, cuz. Hey, you think I could check on Sev before we head out?"

"Oh yeah. His sister's been here all day. I'm sure he'd love another visitor."

She motioned for him to follow her down the hallway to room 819.

"Q didn't waste any time."

"No, she didn't. By the way, why do you call him 'Sev' when his name is Sam?" Mercedes questioned with a smirk.

Lamont smiled "I'm not really supposed to say, but you're family, so I guess it's alright."

Struggling with whether or not to respect the handsome stranger's privacy, Mercedes threw up her hand. "Oh, well, if it's a secret, you don't have to tell me."

"You sure?" Lamont goaded "It's really funny."

Mercedes hated mysteries and she was dying to learn as much as possible about Samuel P. Evans from trusted second hand sources so…

"Okay, tell me!" She giggled lightly.

"My boy was a pop star back in the day."

"What?" Mercedes yelped inquisitively. "Nuh uh."

"Yes, baby girl. I wouldn't lie."

"Are you sure _he's_ not lying?" She continued to chuckle.

"You ever heard of 'Sevans' with an 'A'?"

Mercedes stopped in her tracks. Her heart began to race and she clutched her chest as she placed a hand on Lamont's arm.

"You're joking with me, right?" She asked breathlessly.

A look of concern came over him as he replied "I'm completely serious."

She blinked uncontrollably and shook her head rapidly from side to side.

"'Cedes, are you alright?"

"I just..." she began breathlessly "I just need a minute."

Lamont asked as he moved to put an arm around his cousin, "You wanna sit down?" She nodded rapidly and they detoured to a bench near the 8th floor waiting area.

"You're all out of breath; you want some water or something?" he continued.

"Yes, please, that would be good." Mercedes uttered. Lamont ducked into the waiting room for a cup of water. As he returned and placed it in his cousin's hand, he asked "Were you a fan or something back in the day? I've never seen you like this, 'Cedes."

She took a few slow sips before speaking. "I haven't heard that name in forever and honestly, I thought 'Sevans' was dead in a gutter somewhere after all these years."

Her cousin chuckled curiously "Why would you think that?"

With wide eyes and an intense look of certainty she chimed "There were rumors that he died in Europe back in 2020. It was all over the news and he was never heard from again, so I just assumed the worst. Lamont, are you sure he's the same guy?"

Trying to stifle a massive giggle he replied "100." After a few seconds, the giggle had a mind of its own and escaped raucously. He doubled over in laughter as he grabbed his belly. Mercedes shot him an almost castigating look. He glanced at her and paused "I'm sorry; you just look like your hero died or somethin'. You fangirlin' like a mug."

She sighed heavily before beginning, "If you're going to make fun of me, boy, you can walk home." She pursed her lips, rolled her eyes and shook her head.

Patting his right front jeans pocket "I still got the keys, so..." He finished with his own set of playfully pursed lips and a pointed head tilt. She locked eyes with her cousin and as if on cue, they both erupted into laughter and knocked elbows playfully.

"That was just an unexpected blast from the past, ok?" Mercedes asserted.

"Well, like I said, I told you that in confidence, so don't go telling everybody. I'll never hear the end of it."

"I won't say a word. I still don't know that I believe it, but you're not one to lie, so I guess we'll mark it up as the truth, for now." She said emphatically.

The sound of a text message alert stirred Quinn. She opened her eyes and gazed blearily onto Sam who was sleeping peacefully. She smiled to herself and retrieved her cell phone from her handbag. Just as she opened the message from her husband, Artie, she heard a knock on the door. Mercedes peeked around the corner and saw a sleeping Sam and a still somewhat groggy Quinn.

"Oh, did I wake you?" Mercedes whispered.

Quinn shook her head and sweetly whispered "No" as she motioned for Mercedes and Lamont to come closer.

"This is Lamont," Mercedes started "He just wanted to check on Sam."

"Oh, hi!" Quinn whispered vigorously. She rose quickly and quietly from the chair and moved to embrace him. Hugging him tightly, she added "Thank you so much for taking care of him and calling me. I know you've been a wonderful friend to him since he came back to Lima. I really can't thank you enough."

Lamont whispered in return "No problem. He's a good dude. I'm just glad he's ok."

"Me too." Quinn added seriously.

Quinn's cell phone rang loudly. Sam stirred and frowned with his eyes still closed.

"It's my husband; I have to take this." Quinn stepped outside. As the door clicked behind her, Sam's eyes opened.

One side of Mercedes' face tugged downward in embarrassment and she moved slowly to the right side of Sam's bed. Blinking a few times and finally settling on "Nurse Sexy's" face, he uttered "Hi there." Even while groggy, he still managed a precious flirtation.

"Hey man." Lamont piped up. Sam's head shot to the foot of the bed his friend towered over.

"Hey," Sam outstretched his hand "how long have you been here?"

"I just got here," Lamont grasped Sam's hand and the two shook "how ya feelin'?" Lamont moved to the left side of Sam's bed. Mercedes looked on as the two men spoke; trying hard not to stare once again at Sam's handsome face or inspect it for similarities to her teenage crush 'Sevans'.

"Hanging in there. Doc says I'm all stitched up."

"Good deal. How's she taking care of you?" Lamont asked as he motioned toward Mercedes.

Sam gazed at Mercedes and smiled luminously, "Perfectly."

"If you say so." Lamont teased. Mercedes shot him a look of mock offense and shook her head. He snorted and began again "Well, I had hoped you'd have met before now and under different circumstances."

Sam screwed up his face in confusion and questioned "What do you mean?" A flash of jealousy came over him.

"Sev, I mean, Sam, this is my cousin Mercedes."

Secretly relieved, Sam responded with a sparkle "Oh, really? His eyes met Mercedes' as she smiled and nodded in the affirmative.

Just then, Quinn returned. "Oh, you're awake now. Sorry if I woke you. Since you're up, I guess I should share the good news. Olivia got the Mattel commercial!"

Lamont and Mercedes were clueless and Sam piped up with a proud smile "Olivia's my adorable little niece."

"Congratulations" said Mercedes, "Well, I'm sure you'll want to catch up with Lamont a little. I'll be outside when you're ready." She started to exit.

Lamont stopped her. "It's so late in the day. Why don't you drop me off and I'll just come back in the morning?"

"Are you sure? I don't mind waiting a bit."

Sam interjected "I'll be fine. Actually, since you're on your way out, would you be cool dropping Quinn off at The Double Tree? She's gonna stay in my room."

"Sam!" Quinn chastised lightly "I'll just get a cab; no need to impose."

"You've been up since God knows when, hopped on a red eye, and haven't even had time to eat a decent meal today, I'm sure. Just go back to my room and relax. I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

"It wouldn't be a problem. I'm just taking Lamont home and then we can hit up the hotel on my way back here. It's really not an imposition." Mercedes offered politely.

Everyone's eyes turned to Quinn who quickly mulled things over and agreed "Ok, if you're sure it's not a bother, I would really appreciate it."

"No problem at all." Mercedes finished. She motioned for Lamont to follow her outside as Quinn gathered her belongings and retrieved Sam's hotel room key from his nightstand. When the door clicked shut, Sam spoke.

"Thanks again for coming all the way out here. Let me know when you get there. I just want to make sure you're safe."

"It's so sweet how you still worry about me." Quinn said as she gently stroked her little brother's cheek.

Sam gave a half smile and added "Also, I think this car ride would be a perfect opportunity for you to sing my praises to a certain nurse."

Quinn threw her head back and snorted loudly "Ha! And the true motive is revealed!" She wagged her finger and added "Sneaky Sam strikes again."

He responded with a simple, shameless shrug. This prompted a giggle and she bent down to place a soft kiss on his forehead. She bid her baby brother farewell with the wave of her hand as he lay back looking up to the ceiling with a satisfied grin.

It was a quick 5 miles to Lamont's apartment, he bid the ladies adieu, and they were off. It was an additional10 mile trek to The Double Tree hotel on Rosemont Avenue. Lima's fanciest hotel just happened to be located on Lima's fanciest street. Quinn had been quite familiar with Rosemont Avenue and even after 18 years of absence, everything remained the same. Macy's was the biggest attraction followed by Sallingstreet Rentals – a semi-luxury rental car operation, and finally Agronia Jewelers. Quinn remembered tagging along with her father to Agronia to help him pick out a tennis bracelet for her mother's birthday. Even at 8 years old, the elder Evans twin had style and fashion sense beyond her years.

Mercedes had spent a little time on Rosemont Avenue herself. During high school, she worked part-time at Macy's in the juniors department. She came from an upper middle-class family and was taught from a young age that a strong work ethic, a good education, and respect for money were the keys to success. She had mostly mastered all three. Her one weakness was the occasional impulse buy and a 20% employee discount wasn't always the best deterrent for spending. Mercedes too developed an early sense of style which was even more of a boon considering her genetic body type. Always choosing clothes that flattered her curves and bountiful form helped her navigate the tricky waters of high school.

It also didn't hurt that her best friend during this time was a fellow plus-sized goddess named Lauren Zizes. Mercedes and Lauren were the ebony and ivory of McKinley. Inseparable was putting it mildly. They practically lived in each other's homes, cars, and closets. Lauren was a Macy's part-timer, but situated in the women's shoe department. It was like a dream come true. Mercedes scoped out the best outfits while Lauren tucked away the most fantastic shoe finds. Simply: the two were the yin and yang of curvy fabulousness.

After high school, MJ and LZ went their separate ways and eventually lost touch. There was no emotional falling out that had occurred, it was simply distance and the natural progression of life that took its toll on the friendship. Lauren escaped to New York and attended a small liberal arts college upstate while Mercedes earned a full music scholarship to Ohio State. LZ pursued her lifelong passion of playwriting. After a few successful off-off-off Broadway productions, she realized her real knack was for casting. She scored some internships with the top commercial casting agencies and through networking and skill, settled full-time at the Bernard Telsey agency – one of New York's preeminent theatrical casting Mecca's. LZ had cast some major roles for major Broadway productions and was enjoying marriage and motherhood behind the scenes of the great white way.

MJ had a whirlwind college experience. She established herself as a strong soloist in the Ohio State music department. For four consecutive summers she and the choral group she led competed internationally in Europe and Canada. Always falling just short of first place, she never let the seeming failure sour her love for music. It was just that she, like Lauren, later realized that her strongest passion lay in beauty and fashion and whenever possible, she infused music into those pursuits. In terms of men, there was the occasional college hook up and a few boyfriends that lasted no more than 5 months, but nothing special enough to warrant long-term, and especially marriage. Mercedes always knew that Ohio wasn't where she belonged indefinitely. The coasts were from where the pulse of beauty and fashion emanated and a natural draw to the "left coast" colored her post college years.

Setbacks came in the form of an ailing father who passed away and a mother who remarried a semi-wealthy man which Mercedes despised. While her mother gallivanted around the globe with her new husband, Mercedes forged a closer relationship with her cousin Lamont and worked very hard to quell the intensity of her maternal resentment. No financial aid was offered from "Mother Jones & Daddy Warbucks" and Mercedes would never even deign to solicit such things. The lessons she learned from her father and her innate drive to succeed kept her afloat and would continue to do so until she reached her ultimate goal.

Mercedes fell into nursing, as cliché as it sounds, after seeing a low-budget vocational school commercial. Promises of above-average earnings and the pride in having life-saving skills compelled her to enroll in the St. Crispin's program. She believed that nursing would both provide her with enough income to meet financial obligations and squirrel away for an eventual move to California. Financial setbacks often came in the form of massive car repairs and the dual repayment of nursing and cosmetology school loans. Sometimes down, but never fully out, she forged through with a smile and a determination that could humble the wealthiest of corporate tycoons.

"I hope I'm not being too forward, but how is it that a gorgeous lady like your self has yet to snag a husband?" Quinn suddenly piped up.

Mercedes was thrown off by the question, but rejoined with a light snicker. "If you know anything about Lima, you know the pickings are slim."

Quinn nodded forcefully in agreement and offered "Yes, I do know that very well."

"Dr. Anderson mentioned that you two were old school friends, and yet you don't dress like you're from around here. Do you still have family here, aside from your brother, I mean?"

Quinn snorted, "Oh no, all of the Evans, aside from myself, are on the west coast. We high-tailed it out of here after…" She trailed off suddenly and began to wring her hands. She began again "Well, that's not important" she lied. "The point is, I'm only here for Sam and no offense, but I can't wait to get the hell out of here."

Mercedes snickered again "Girl that makes two of us. It's my home, but it's not my home-home, you know? I've never felt like a small town girl and there are little to no opportunities for _anything _here. Actually, I'm dying to get to LA."

For a moment, Quinn's sisterly matchmaker wheels began turning. Should she use this pertinent information to Sam's advantage by proxy? After all, he blatantly imposed on the pretty nurse to facilitate a conversation of this very sort. Quinn was a good sister…

"Really? What does your LA dream revolve around?"

"I love nursing, but my real passion is beauty and fashion. I got my cosmetology license a few years ago and it dawned on me that I really, really want to be a make-up artist. LA just makes sense for that."

Quinn nodded in agreement. "You're right. That is the place to be. So much production happens there and on top of that you've got the brunt of the music industry and fashion there is growing year by year. You should move…as soon as you make sure Sam is perfectly healed." She finished teasingly with a laugh and Mercedes joined in.

"Oh yes, Mr. Evans is my top priority. Lamont would have my head if I didn't give Mr. Evans the best of my care."

Screwing up her face slightly, Quinn asked "Why do you call him 'Mr. Evans'? So formal. He's just plain old Sam!"

Nodding sheepishly Mercedes chimed "Bad habit of mine, I guess. The head nurse at St. Crispin's is a stickler and she drilled it into our heads that formality and professionalism are the two most important qualities for anyone on her staff to have. My god, in fact, if she knew that I was giving you a lift she'd flip out."

Quinn smiled knowingly and added "Your secret's safe with me. But, when scary old head nurse isn't around, please feel free to be as informal as you'd like. I may look buttoned up, but I like to have a good time every now and then. I used to be a model, so I've seen it, heard it and probably done it all."

"Are you serious?"

"Yep."

"I can see why you'd be a model, you are gorgeous, but that's so crazy to have a model and pop sing-" Mercedes instantly clammed up. She mentally thrashed herself for letting the cat out of the bag.

"I'm sorry? Did you say pop singer? Who told you that?"

If Mercedes hadn't been driving, she would have placed her hands over her face and refused to move them for no less than five whole minutes out of sheer embarrassment. She took an exceedingly deep breath.

"Ok, please don't be angry and please, please, please don't tell Lamont that I spilled Sam's secret."

"What secret?" Quinn had an inkling where this was leading but she decided to let things play out as they would before jumping to a complete conclusion.

"It's so crazy. Lamont always referred to Sam as 'Sev' and I just had to know why he called him that and he said – again, this is the craziest thing ever – that 'Sev' was short for 'Sevans'."

Quinn was silent.

"I know, it's crazy right? 'Sevans' - a major pop star – is actually my cousin's friend, Sam Evans, who gets attacked by the town maniac? Like, really, Lamont? I mean, Sam has just been teasing him all along, right?" Mercedes now giggled to herself after hearing the words aloud. They sounded more ridiculous as the seconds passed.

Quinn was still silent. If it weren't so comical, she would have sunk down in the passenger seat of Mercedes' car. Dousing her own laughter, Quinn's hovering silence could not longer be denied, and Mercedes questioned again.

"Quinn?"

"Uh huh?"

"You're suddenly very quiet."

"Yeah…"

"Did I say something to offend you? I'm so sorry. I just thought that was so crazy and Lamont can be really gullible sometimes-"

Quinn interrupted "No, it's true."

Mercedes' eyes widened and she swallowed hard. "You're joking right? Lamont put you up to this?"

Shaking her head lazily and scrunching up her nose, the elder Evans decided to expound on the subject.

"What I'm about to tell you must never, ever, ever leave this car." She glanced at Mercedes who was tightly gripping the steering wheel, still wide eyed and now nodding her head rapidly with understanding.

"Sam is or was 'Sevans'. It's 100% true. But that was a very long time ago and he's doing his best to move on from that phase of his life."

"How can this be? I mean, 'Sevans.' Here in Lima? Friends with my cousin? I'm driving his sister around?" Mercedes squawked.

"It's true, I swear. Not making any of this up. Mercedes, please, I beg of you, please do not mention any of this. Sam's extremely sensitive about it."

Mercedes was quiet and remained wide eyed. Her mind was racing a mile a minute and her heart followed suit. Somehow she managed to stay aware of her surroundings as they quickly turned into the parking lot of The Double Tree hotel. The car idled in front of the main entrance.

"Mercedes, you're not saying anything."

Finally able to regain use of her vocal chords, she uttered "Um. I promise, not a word. I just – this is unreal." Her eyes returned to their normal stare and she added "Quinn, I swear, you can trust me. That was a one time slip, I promise. I would never betray your trust."

"I believe you. But remember, it's mostly Sam's trust. He's a sweetheart but he can be a beast if he feels betrayed or mocked and I think he's kind of interested –shit. You didn't hear that either."

Mercedes could have died where she sat. Not only did she learn today that she's been attending to, interacting and possibly flirting with her teen crush, but his actual sister just let it slip that he might be interested in her? She hardly ever played, but Mercedes felt like she had just won the lottery. She clutched her chest and exhaled with a satisfied smile. Shaking her head in disbelief, she began "I promise I don't know anything. ANYTHING."

Quinn smiled and squeezed the pretty and now emotionally inundated nurse's shoulder. "I knew I could trust you." She opened the car door and stepped outside, but not before adding "Woman to woman, if you're interested, you totally have a chance. I wasn't lying when I said you were his type and that's all I'm saying. But of course, you didn't hear that from me." She finished with an enormous smile and mimed the action of zipping her lips shut before shutting the car door.

Making the loop around the hotel parking lot, Mercedes knew she was in for the longest drive back to St. Crispin's of her life.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi guys! Hope you enjoy the 6th installment. More mysteries revealed! Feedback is always welcome and as always, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR READING! 3**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 6<strong>

She vacillated between extreme giddiness and extreme terror at the thought of seeing Sam again. Aside from an engagement or baby announcement, this would be the biggest secret she'd ever been tasked to keep. A barrage of memories flooded her brain. Within seconds she instantly returned to a fateful summer night following her high school sophomore year.

WTFH 101.9, Lima's favorite radio station, was giving away two tickets and backstage passes to the concert of the year. Unicorn Records, founded by music maven Sue Sylvester, sent its three most successful pop acts out on the road for a 2010 summer tour. The lineup consisted of two solo artists and a hot duo that were taking the world by storm.

Teens and tweens around the globe clamored for the newest releases, concert tickets, and merchandise for BritP, K-Arthur, and Sevans. Quirky non-sequitur laden lyrics, catchy beats, and expert dance skill garnered Brittany Pierce, a leggy blonde from Canada, a following as BritP. K-Arthur was a twin sibling act that hailed from Los Angeles. Identical twins, Kevin Abrams (who later went by the surname McHale; paying homage to his mother) and Arthur "Artie" Abrams were the best young male vocalists of their time. They were consummate performers and the deserved headliners of the "I Am Unicorn" Tour.

Rounding out the bunch was Sam Evans. At 16, he was already a blonde Adonis. Sue Sylvester, ever the fan of word play, combined his first initial with his full surname to create 'Sevans'. It didn't hurt that he and his twin sister were born on the 7th of October, thus promoting Ms. Sylvester's bon mot affinity.

After the Evans family fled Lima in the summer of 2009, Sam quickly integrated himself into the So-Cal lifestyle. As a youngster, he'd taken up several instruments including piano, violin, and acoustic guitar. He knew early on that music and singing were his passions. Mr. and Mrs. Evans made a conscious effort to nurture the creative talents of their children and didn't blink when Sam decided to audition for a new boy band Unicorn Records was putting together. At the audition Sam and the Abrams twins were the stand-outs. When it was all said and done, Sue Sylvester decided to scrap the boy band scenario. The Abrams twins' impeccable style, talent, and twin novelty suited them for a duo while Sam's undeniable beauty, charisma, and budding song writing prowess made him more suited for the solo artist track.

The three pop darlings of the I Am Unicorn Tour had meteoric rises to fame of which the likes had never been seen before. In only a few short months, four attractive and highly talented teenagers traveled and ruled the world. The tour began in a few major European cities and would wrap up in the United States. Thanks to Sue Sylvester's incidental soft spot for her home state, the final stop of the tour would be Columbus, OH.

Lauren Zizes had the most amazing luck of any person Mercedes had ever known. When the search for WTFH's 101st caller got underway, LZ got through on her 10th attempt. The screams that emitted from the two girls when the promise of tickets and backstage passes were solidified could have awakened the dead. The girls were fans of the entire I Am Unicorn line-up, but each had their soft spots for one act in particular. Lauren was a die hard K-Arthur fan while Mercedes lived for Sevans. The differences in their tastes worked to their advantage, for there would be no competition for backstage attention.

Careful consideration was paid to the outfits they would wear to meet the objects of their teen obsession. Rocking their respective favorite colors, hot pink and purple, Mercedes and Lauren spent no less than 2 hours time readying for the greatest night of their lives, thus far. As they loaded up the car for the drive to Columbus, Mercedes' mild flutters turned into a full case of butterflies. It was one thing to be fortunate enough to see your favorite musical acts in person, it was quite another to realize you'd get to meet them.

Sevans was the cutest thing Mercedes had ever laid eyes on. She studied the same Teen Vogue photo spread for hours on end; dedicating each half smile and sexy eye glint to memory. For months she fantasized about what it would be like to meet him and dare she think it, date him. He was tall, achingly handsome, talented, and charming. What she also liked about Sevans was his confidence. With so many physical attributes in his favor, it would have been very easy for him to be arrogant, but he always came off as gentlemanly and down to earth in interviews. There was even one interview clip from the European leg of the tour where Sevans wasn't afraid to let his inner dork show. He fancied himself an impressionist and the German interviewer coaxed him into showcasing his James Earl Jones. If Mercedes was dangerously smitten, after that revealing news clip, she fell dangerously in love.

Lauren drove as Mercedes played iPod DJ. It was a few hours drive to Columbus which was plenty of time to rock out repeatedly to the same songs they would hear live (for the very first time) at the Galaxy Arena.

"You're awfully quiet over there MJ" Lauren stated.

She had been lost in thought as she played out various scenarios of her meeting with Sevans.

"What?"

Lauren snorted "Girl, aren't you hella excited? We get to see our men tonight!" She writhed playfully in the driver's seat which prompted a hearty chuckle from Mercedes.

"Oh I'm ready, but I am a little nervous. Aren't you?"

"Hell no! Mr. Kevin Abrams better watch out! LZ's on the prizzowl!" She finished with a playful 'meow' and cat claw motion which prompted yet another hearty chuckle from her best friend.

Mercedes started again "I've just never met anybody famous before. Hell, this is my first damn concert. I'm having so many feelings."

"As you should young Padawan."

"What did you just call me?" Mercedes urged quizzically.

"It's a Star Wars thing. Don't worry about it. It's not bad."

"Oh. I never could get into that." Mercedes offered.

"Hmm" Lauren began with a hint of sass "I bet if your boy Sevans was a fan, you'd be all over that geekery."

"You got snark. I see how it is."

The two girls looked at each other and burst with laughter. It was 3 weeks before summer break came to an end and a Thursday night trek to Columbus for the I Am Unicorn tour was the perfect closing ceremony. Suddenly, an all too familiar tune popped up on the iPod. Sevans' "Super Lover" started to play. It was his biggest hit and Mercedes' admitted favorite song. She and Lauren began to sing along.

_**I'm lookin' for a Super Lover**_

_**Don't want no undercover**_

_**Unless she's under the covers, with me.**_

_**I gotta find a Super Lover**_

_**A girl just like no other**_

_**I'll make her mine forever, you'll see.**_

_**Don't gotta be from outer space**_

_**Don't gotta have a tiny waist**_

_**Just want a heart that's pure and true**_

_**I'll spend my lifetime loving you.**_

_**So if you think that's you**_

_**Girl, show me whatcha gonna do**_

_**A man like me can be impressed**_

_**If you're different from the rest.**_

_**I'm lookin' for a Super Lover**_

_**Don't want no undercover**_

_**Unless she's under the covers, with me.**_

_**I gotta find a Super Lover**_

_**A girl just like no other**_

_**I'll make her mine forever, you'll see.**_

The concert was underway. Lauren and Mercedes had prime seats on the ground level of the Galaxy Arena. Second row was perfect placement for the girls to scream their lungs out for the young performers on stage. Mercedes' eyes filled with tears when Sevans arrived. He wore a sleeveless shirt that unabashedly showed off his glistening biceps. Her heart raced at the thought of possibly getting to touch them after the show. She would never wash that hand again if that were the case.

Lauren swooned for K-Arthur, especially the "K." The slim bespectacled duo sent her into a tizzy with their silky smooth vocals and angelic harmonies. The arena shook with adolescent screams and tear-filled professions of love from hormonal teenage girls. At the concert's completion, LZ and MJ made their way to the backstage area, proudly flashing their laminated passes. Their grins were ear to ear as they skipped down the corridor to their heart's desires.

A Unicorn Records representative led them to their first stop at BritP's dressing room. When they arrived, the beautiful leggy blonde was doing a headstand against a wall, her nightly post-performance ritual, to wind down. Brittany's sweetness and child-like wonder were infectious. MJ and LZ felt like they had just visited an old friend. Canadians often have that sort of affect on people.

They moved on to K-Arthur's suite. Lauren squeezed Mercedes' hand tightly as they entered and her eyes landed on a shirtless Kevin. Mercedes giggled and urged her friend to talk to her dream lover. Artie was the first to skip over. His smile was bright and dreamy.

"Are you gorgeous ladies our contest winners?" Artie asked with zest.

Lauren was struck mute. Mercedes smiled widely as she glanced at her friend and nudged her. Letting her brain catch up to her heart, LZ nodded forcefully. Artie winked.

"What are your names?" he posed.

Mercedes decided to take the conversation reins as she could see her once ultra confident partner in crime was reduced to jelly.

"This is Lauren and I'm Mercedes."

"Well, I'm Artie and that sweaty dude over there is Kevin. But you probably already knew that, huh?" He chuckled to himself. Mercedes nodded and giggled.

Finally Lauren's gift of gab returned.

"Oh my god, I'm your biggest fan! I know all of your songs! I love you!" she blurted out.

Just then Kevin moseyed over. Lauren clutched her chest and shook her head in excited opposition. Mercedes just watched quietly as LZ eventually reverted back to her confident and flirtatious self. At one point, she swapped glasses with both twins and garnered pecks on the cheek and an impromptu autograph on the insides of both forearms; one for each Abrams.

Suddenly, Mercedes saw a mop of messy, brassy blonde hair breeze by in her periphery. Her heart stopped. She desperately wanted to verify the owner of said mop, but was almost too afraid. Just then, Artie piped up "Hey Sev, come and meet our contest winners. They're real cuties." He shot Mercedes a sweet look which she did her best to return as she fought a complete and utter meltdown.

Sam sauntered over and locked eyes with Mercedes first. He gave her a full smile flashing blindingly white and perfectly straight teeth. His eyes were a deeply hued green and twinkled. Up close, his luscious lips were down right sinful. He licked them quickly and Mercedes felt her tummy jump with desire. She had studied every feature of that face for hours on end and now it was staring her in the face with the biggest smile ever imagined. If she had listened to her baser instincts, she would have grabbed his face and planted a fiery kiss on those delicious pillow lips. Thankfully, Mercedes was suddenly hit with a wash of calm and rationality and addressed the man of her dreams after he introduced himself.

Sam extended his hand for a shake, and then quickly rescinded the offer. Brushing his palm briskly against his jeans he uttered "Sorry, I'm so sweaty." He offered the hand again. Mercedes didn't mind the sweat one bit and she could feel a wave of flames moving throughout her body. Was she really close enough to touch Sevans? Was she really _touching_ Sevans? He then introduced himself to Lauren who was momentarily taken aback by his handsomeness, but quickly returned her attention to Kevin. Artie excused himself to the men's room, so Mercedes was left to gawk at Sam.

"Did you have a good time tonight?" Sam asked.

Licking her lips and blinking pointedly, she was finally able to speak. "Oh yeah, it was great!" She uttered breathlessly.

"That's good."

Normally more gregarious after a performance, at the moment, Sam was oddly searching for words. He'd seen a lot of beautiful girls in his short time as a pop super star, but Mercedes struck him like no other. He noticed her adorable button nose and found himself getting lost quickly in the two coffee colored pools of her eyes. Her deep mahogany waves were parted neatly down the center and sectioned into shoulder length pigtails with hot pink fasteners. Her eyelashes must have been a mile long and not real because how could anyone have lashes that beautiful and thick? He then fixated on her plush mouth which was lacquered in baby pink gloss with a slight shimmer.

Feeling compelled to reach out and touch those delectable lips; he stopped himself and offered her a beverage. If she accepted, at least he could watch those lips in motion, even if he'd have to settle for jealousy of a soda can or water bottle.

"Um yeah, water would be great." Mercedes said sweetly. Sam flashed another winning smile and motioned for her to follow him. She loved the way he walked. Her eyes dropped down to the back of his dark wash jeans and she had to bite her lip to suppress a lustful sigh at how well they fit. A few paces later and they were at a table filled with beverages and snacks galore. He handed her a cool bottle of water. She smiled sweetly and offered a polite "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Sam replied. Each time their eyes met, he felt the early stages of a blush coming on. Sam was used to towering over most people he met, but the differential between the lovely girl before him and himself was enough to make him chuckle.

"So," he began "What's your name?"

From the sheer excitement of being face to face with her celebrity crush, she nearly choked on her sip of water. Recovering nicely, she started "Mercedes. But, my friends call me MJ. You can call me MJ if you want." She giggled at the thought of being considered a friend of Sevans.

"Alright, MJ it is." He gave her a flirtatious wink.

"You were great tonight. I had so much fun. Super Lover's my favorite song of yours."

"You really think so? Thanks. I'm proud of that one. I wrote the lyrics all by myself."

"I know. I read the liner notes." Mercedes chimed in sheepishly. She had a severe case of perma-smile, but she didn't give a damn. This was a dream come true. She added "You should be proud of all of your songs. They're really great!"

This time he was unsuccessful at fighting off a blush and his cheeks colored to a rosy pink. He looked down bashfully and then back up at MJ whose smile didn't help lessen the blush.

"You're too kind." He searched for more words, but kept getting himself distracted by her lustrous hair and sweet face.

"Um, hey, did you get some t-shirts and stuff?" He was amazed that something so perfect popped into his head.

MJ's jaw dropped "Are you serious? We can have some…for free?"

Sam chuckled heartily. "You're so cute – yeah, you can have whatever you want. Come on!" He motioned for her to follow him again and they walked to the other side of the room where a table of concert swag was set up.

Mercedes almost fell over. Did he actually call her CUTE? Her heart beat so fast that she thought it might jump right through her chest. By the time she sidled up next to him, he was already stretching out a white "I Am Unicorn World Tour" t-shirt across his chest.

"You like?" he asked simply. She nodded her head in agreement. Next Sam grabbed a black "K-Arthur" shirt in silver script writing and splayed it across Mercedes' chest. She felt her knees weaken by the slightest graze of his knuckles against her collar bone. Her eyes fluttered and when Sam caught this look he smiled valiantly. Finally, he picked up an olive green tank top with "Super Lover" in glittery gold bubble letters on the front. Mercedes' eyes flickered with delight as he placed that one across her chest as well.

"Green is definitely your color." Sam said flirtatiously. MJ giggled "I have to agree with you."

Suddenly the Unicorn Records rep approached to usher the girls out. The crew was unusually quick with the striking of the set and load out, so it was time to get out of town, literally. MJ's heart sank all the way to the ocean floor and a twinge of disappointment shone through her eyes. Sam sighed remorsefully. Quickly putting on a brave face, Mercedes piped up "It was really great meeting you. This was like, the best night of my life." She finished with a giggle and flashed a pair of dreamy eyes his way.

He cleared his throat before speaking. "It was great meeting you too, MJ. I'm glad you had a good time. I wish it could have been longer." He took the three shirts he picked out for her and folded them haphazardly before placing them in her hands.

"Here you go."

"Thank you!"

"How's about a goodbye hug?"

Her heart stopped. Was he offering full body contact of his own accord? She couldn't speak, so she nodded liberally. She shifted the shirts to her left hand and as he moved in closer, her heart thumped so much she was sure it was audible at this point. Her pulse was on overload and she began to feel lightheaded. He wrapped his arms around her body and she had to fight back a squeal. At that moment, she wanted to spend eternity in those strong arms. She drew in a deep breath and committed his scent to memory. He smelled like heaven which was actually more a combination of boy sweat and Axe body wash. Her skin was on fire and it was the most amazing heat she'd ever felt. They released their embrace and Sam "Sevans" Evans flashed another amazing smile at Mercedes. The Unicorn Records rep guided Mercedes out and picked up Lauren on the way who was still gabbing with the Abrams twins.

Mercedes decided to snag one more glance at her heart's desire and to her surprise, she locked eyes with him one last time. Smiling, he threw up his hand and bid her adieu; Mercedes returned the gesture.

Before she knew it, Mercedes was back at the St. Crispin's parking structure. She turned off the ignition and just sat there. Taking several deep breaths and shaking her head from side to side, she attempted to gather her thoughts. How could she look at those delightful green eyes and those lusty lips of Sam Evans' once more and not reveal their history? Surely time and the hustle and bustle of a pop star lifestyle erased her from his memory, she thought. Would she seem childish for bringing up something so trivial so many years later, and also appear insensitive to his current condition? But, Quinn did let it slip that he may have taken an interest in her…..

"Snap out of it, girl." she spoke aloud to herself. "You have a job to do and you made a promise to Quinn and already broke a promise to Lamont, so no funny business, okay?"

She exhaled deeply and nodded her head firmly. She was finally ready to leave the confines of her car and put those sweet memories to rest for a time. It was imperative that she held it together and carried on as professionally as humanly possible for the remainder of Sam Evans' stay at St. Crispin's. By the time she made her way to the 8th floor, it was dinner time. A part of her wanted to run and hide when she saw the tray for room 819. Finally mustering up the courage to face him, she grabbed the tray and walked slowly to his room – trying to give herself a last minute pep talk - before entering the "emotional thunder dome."

His eyes lit up like fireworks as she walked through the door.

"She's back!" he exclaimed with a dangerously perfect smile.

Mercedes had to summon every ounce of strength possible to not turn right around with his food in hand, at that. She simply offered a light chuckle and moved to place the food tray in front of him.

"Quinn sends her thanks again for giving her a lift to the hotel. She says you're a very safe driver. She's such a nerd sometimes." He chuckled to himself. Mercedes was still unable to form complete sentences and nodded her head in appreciation. Sam began to worry.

"Mercedes?" he uttered.

She turned to face him and simply gazed into his eyes with a gently raised eyebrow to show interest.

"Is everything ok? You're not talking."

She blinked her eyes pointedly, sighed heavily and looked down. How the hell was she going to be able to conduct herself normally after the secrets she knew? It was a struggle but she finally offered up "Oh, it's just been kind of a long week. I guess it's finally catching up to me." She fibbed at that moment, but it was all she could do to keep her wits about her. The reservoir of knowledge and succulent memories regarding Sam Evans was nearly overflowing. She couldn't take much more. She quickly tried to get away, but Sam reached out and grabbed her arm gently. That effortless touch sent a jolt of electricity throughout her body.

"Wait. Do you want to talk about it? I'm a great listener."

Oh my god, he's not only amazingly beautiful but thoughtful to boot? His perfection was going to kill her before she reached her 33rd birthday, which was only a few months away. At least she'd leave a beautiful corpse, she thought playfully. She giggled at her silly thoughts which led Sam to chuckle. She already adored his laugh. She was in the definition of trouble.

She looked deeply into his eyes and he smiled wide while nodding in encouragement. Rather reluctantly she pulled out of his grasp and hushed his concerns.

"It's nothing like that. I'm just a little exhausted. I'll be fresh as a daisy tomorrow."

He responded with a bashful nod and stared at his tray of food a bit solemnly. If anyone had the "wounded puppy" look down pat, it was Sam Evans at that moment. Mercedes' heart and body cursed her brain for being so cautious. In turn, her brain branded the emotional duo as traitors. Suddenly Mercedes remembered that this Friday was one of her days off. Simultaneously thankful and crestfallen for the recollection; a look of disconcertion shone on her face.

"Well, you better eat up. I'll let you eat in peace."

Mercedes moved once again toward the door. Sam had momentarily lost his appetite. The way she'd brushed off his offer of commiseration had taken some of the wind out of his sails, but he refused to give up so easily. Whether she liked it or not, she was going to have to deal with him for a few moments longer this day. He felt no shame as he announced "Did you want to check my stitches before or after dinner?"

She stopped in her tracks and turned around with a confused look on her face. "Didn't Nurse Shapiro check them after your lunch?"

"Oh, she came by, but I told her I wouldn't let anyone besides you, touch me. She seemed miffed, but what can I say? I'm a rebel." He proudly shot her a sexy smirk.

She didn't think it were possible to both desire and feel compelled to smack someone across the head at the same time until just now. She shook her head lightly and sighed.

"I'm so disappointed in her. How could she let you sit up all day without having your stitches properly checked?"

"Truthfully, I'm quite ornery. It takes a strong, strong woman to tackle all of this. Shapiro came in here with that weak sauce. No go." Again, he shot a sexy smirk her way.

She wanted to yank that smirk off of his face. He was totally playing her and there was nothing she could do about it. Her only defense was a patented eye roll.

"And don't forget about my sponge bath." Now he was playing hard ball.

She turned her head away and mouthed "MOTHERFUCKER" to herself. Resigning that this was a battle she was too tired and too professional to fight at the moment, she turned back around to face her flirtatious antagonist.

She shook her head knowingly and flashed a Cheshire grin as she leveled her eyes directly upon him.

"Okay then. I'll be back in 15. Enjoy your broccoli puree."

"Broccoli!" Sam exclaimed nastily. "I hate broccoli!" He whined.

Thank goodness for small victories, she thought. With mock sympathy, she replied "Oh dear. Well, I could send down another order for you, but by the time it gets up here, it'll be time for me leave and nobody likes a stitch check and bath on an empty stomach. You'll need your strength because I'm a very thorough scrubber." She raised her eyebrows daringly.

Sam screwed up his face in distaste as Mercedes' own dirty tactics were transparent. If choking down disgusting spoonfuls of veggie slop was his punishment, he would gladly take one for the team. He'd been waiting all day for "Bath Time with Nurse Sexy". He'd even gone so far as to bribe Nurse Shapiro with his strawberry applesauce cup to let the duty (or pleasure) fall to Mercedes. Putting on a brave face he professed "This will do." He reluctantly removed the heat dome from his food tray and dug into the horrid green concoction. He gulped down one heaping spoonful as a show of machismo. Mercedes nodded and reminded "I'll be back in 15."

She glanced back at him one last time before exiting. Sam smiled valiantly as his taste buds died multiple deaths.

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><p><strong>So what did you think? How'd you like Sam's original pop song? hehehehehehe I've always had a secret desire to write pop songs - and it only took me 8 minutes to come up with that drivel. hahahahaha I'm gonna stick to my day job - don't worry. :) Thanks again for reading, my lovelies.<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

Mercedes spent her 15 minute respite gathering a basin, soap, wash cloth and large drying towel for the impending sponge bath of frustration. She refused to return one second before her full 15 minutes was up, so for the last 59 seconds she went into another round of self pep talk. Her intention was to make the ordeal as quick and painless as possible but her brain was at a loss for distraction tips.

She took one final deep breath before entering room 819. As the door clicked shut she noticed a completely empty food tray. Not a speck of broccoli puree was to be found; this man was serious about his damn sponge bath, she thought. She flashed him a weak smile as she moved to his left side and placed the bath items on the night stand. Noticing the deafening silence, a distraction tactic miraculously popped into her head.

"My goodness, it's so quiet in here." Before she could finish, Sam interrupted.

"We could always get to know each other better. I usually wait until the 2nd date before the sponge bath phase…."

She couldn't help but roll her eyes playfully. He noticed this and chuckled lightly.

"I was going to suggest some music." She said, gesturing to the radio on the night stand. Sam simply nodded. Mercedes tuned it to her favorite station, 101.9, and fought off a smirk as the memory of that August night in 2010 flashed again.

"Let me get some warm water and we'll get started." She took the basin to the bathroom on the right side of his bed. Staring at herself in the mirror she noticed that despite the inner turmoil she was feeling, she still managed to look "cute" in her opinion. If she was going to have this excruciating experience, at least she could feel good about her appearance during. When she returned she caught Sam's eye as it seemed he'd been watching the door to the bathroom since she entered it. He had an intense gaze that seemed to startle her in a manner that no one else's could. The radio hummed with the last few notes of a familiar pop tune of yesteryear before the DJ piped up:

"Rolling on with our week long Greatest Pop Hits countdown, here's number 171: 'Lucky in Love' by K-Arthur. If any of you out there remember when those guys rolled into town on the I Am Unicorn tour, this is sure to make you smile."

Mercedes' heart began to race and she nearly splashed water from the basin as she shakily placed it on the night stand. As the chorus of K-Arthur's song began, she snuck a peek at Sam who seemed unaffected. He exhaled deeply and looked around the room. If anything was bothering him it wasn't hearing an old song from his heyday as a pop star – it was that the nurse he longed to better acquaint himself with seemed determined to freeze him out. He began to wonder if Quinn had said something on their drive to upset her. Fighting the urge to ask just that, he lay motionless as he watched Mercedes submerge the wash cloth and drizzle liquid soap into the basin. She swished the cloth around a few times until foam appeared. The moment of truth was upon her for she could stall no longer.

"Um…" she began reluctantly "We need to remove your gown."

In compliance, he raised himself up slowly to allow her access to the ties at the back of his neck. The cheap fabric clung to his body as he gingerly rolled it down his chest. Once he was bare down to his abdomen he looked at Mercedes and asked "Do I need to go further?"

"It's best if you take it all off." She realized how lascivious that sounded and sighed heavily in apology. "I didn't mean it like that."

Sam snorted lightly, nodded, and pushed the gown away from his body. As if Mercedes wasn't struggling enough to keep her wits about her, Sam had the audacity to have the magnificent body she'd always imagined of him. His chest was broad, tight, and perfectly formed. His abdominals, despite the massive bandage covering the surgical area, were immaculate. She could swear she'd never seen abs that cut on a real man up close. If the water her hand plunged into had been a few degrees warmer, beads of sweat surely would have formed at her temples. A delicate trail of flaxen hair from his navel to the bottom of his abdomen teased her mercilessly. Thankfully he'd had the modesty to keep the bed linens over his nether regions for now.

Biting the bullet, she began at his throat. Lightly, she swiped the cloth vertically from his chin to his collar bone and repeated in the middle and on the right side. Dunking the cloth again, she swiped over his rock solid shoulders, those beautiful pecs and the outsides and bend of his elbows. When she lifted his arms to tackle the pits, he pulled away and giggled. Sheepishly, he gazed at her and professed "I'm a little ticklish. Sorry." As badly as she wanted to show mirth, she fought it and nodded knowingly with another weak smile.

Sam felt the pricks of panic rise within him. He wondered what _had_ Quinn said to Mercedes to make her so distant now? His jaw clenched somewhat and he tightened his fist. Mercedes noticed his body suddenly tensing and stopped. "Am I hurting you?" She asked with a timbre of concern in her voice. For a split second he was compelled to blurt out "Yes!", but thought better of it and shook his head in opposition.

"I'm going to check your stitches now. I'll be as gentle as possible. Please let me know if you feel any pain or added sensitivity." Sam simply nodded in compliance. Due to the cold shoulder he was receiving he had finally arrived at the conclusion that he wanted this to be over as quickly as possible. In his mind, he imagined a much more light hearted yet erotically tinged experience. If all he was going to get was a robotic interaction with Nurse Sexy, he could have kept his coveted strawberry applesauce cup and let Nurse Shapiro do her bidding, he thought in annoyance.

As she slowly peeled away the surgical dressing she saw nothing out of the ordinary. Several rows of stitches lined a medium-sized patch of his abdomen. Dr. Anderson had indeed stitched him up perfectly and Mercedes could see that Sam would heal nicely and most likely with minimal scarring. As she carefully dabbed the area with a tiny corner of the cloth she heard Sam wince lightly. Her eyes quickly shot to meet his. He blinked quickly and let out a sharp breath. "I'm sorry!" She breathily exclaimed and continued "Tenderness is normal. Your stitches look great though and I think you'll heal perfectly. Good as new." She finally smiled brightly and Sam felt his annoyance weaken a scant amount as he countered with a half smile. After making sure the area was completely dry she replaced the surgical dressing daintily.

Now it was time for the dreaded nether regions. Had she been as completely oblivious as Sam about their past meeting she would have easily relished this phase of scrubbing. She sucked in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Just then, the radio DJ piped up again:

"And now up to a personal favorite of mine, number 170 on the countdown - "Super Lover" by the super sexy Sevans! Well he used to be sexy. Haven't heard from this guy in years, is he still alive? If anybody's seen him, please give me a call and give him my number!" the DJ finished with a maniacal chuckle. Mercedes froze. She slowly raised her eyes to meet Sam's, but found him staring confusedly at the radio. He felt her eyes on him and looked at her with raised eyebrows. Her pulse rocketed and her stomach lurched forcefully. The all too familiar synthesizer intro and pre-chorus adlibs caused her to exhale forcefully in frustration. The universe was asking too much of her nervous system at this point.

Thinking quickly, Sam interjected with hope "Do you hate this song as much as I do? Maybe we should turn it off?" He added a nervous chuckle and forced half smile. Belying the true source of her exasperation, she shrugged her shoulders and nodded. For a split second, she wondered how she'd recover from that fib if the full extent of her knowledge were ever revealed. She'd cross that bridge when she got there, she assured herself.

Immediately, the room returned to a state of deafening silence. Neither one felt brave enough to speak first. Finally, Sam spoke "You said you've had a difficult week. Why don't I finish myself up? I don't want to add extra stress on you right now."

One side of her mouth tugged down in slight embarrassment. "Yes, if you really wouldn't mind it this once? I'm so sorry. It's just catching up to me faster than normal this week." He nodded with understanding and fished the cloth from the basin. Mercedes chimed in "I'll step into the bathroom for a minute to give you some privacy." She moved rapidly to her destination. A few moments later, she peered around the bathroom door to find Sam drying his upper body with the large towel. After a few more moments she was emptying the basin down the sink and finally helping Sam into a fresh gown. No doubt from all of the tension, a headache began to plague her. This day started out wonderfully and unfortunately ended in a cluster of awkwardness and regret. She silently gathered up the bathing utensils and Sam could no longer let the elephant in the room go unmentioned.

"Nurse Jones?"

Mercedes couldn't deny the slight pang she felt when he returned to addressing her so formally. She had really screwed up now. She turned to him and slowly lifted her eyes to meet his. "Yes?"

"Did I do something to offend you? I know you've had a rough week, but I can't help but feel a little tension between us? If I've done anything, I apologize." Mercedes exhaled deeply and placed her hand to her heart. The last thing in the world she had wanted was for Sam to feel uncomfortable, but putting up a wall was the only plausible option she saw at the time.

"Oh my god, no!" she exclaimed sweetly. She wouldn't reveal her truth, but she wouldn't continue to make him feel guilty for a crime he didn't even know he committed. "Honey, I've just got so much personal stuff on my mind right now, and unfortunately I'm letting it bleed into work. I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable. I swear, I'll be fine by Saturday."

Sam screwed up his face. "Half an hour ago, you said you'd be fine by tomorrow. Have I made things worse?" He shrugged shyly.

"Definitely not! I just…tomorrow's my day off, so I wont see you again until Saturday, hence 'I'll be fine by Saturday'."

Hoping to assuage him with that statement; she unintentionally devastated him. His heart sank a bit and he looked down at his hands. The second half of the day had been weird indeed, but he had had his hopes up very high for redemption the following day. He sighed heavily and nodded. "Oh, well, I'll see you then I guess."

Returning mildly to her previous self she chirped "Are you going somewhere between now and Saturday?" with a noticeable twinge of playful sass. Sam raised an eyebrow and smiled a bit bashfully before answering "No. I'll be here."

"That's what I thought." Mercedes retorted confidently. She wished him a good night and left him with a smile.

Although awkwardness had ensued, she prided herself on keeping the secret of which she was twice entrusted in tact. She didn't know how she could keep up the charade but was thankful for one day's reprieve to gather her thoughts fully. Letting the happiness and excitement of what she knew return to her brain space for a moment, she drifted off to sleep as her fingers lazily traced over the golden, glittery bubble letters of a green tank top.

The next morning, a vibrant and well rested Quinn Abrams nee' Evans arrived at St. Crispin's. She expected to find her twin brother in the highest of spirits possible.

"Good morning baby brother!" she chirped as she entered with a flourish. She was a vision of style and loveliness; sporting a pair of dark wash skinny jeans, fluttery sun yellow top, gray scarf, dark denim jacket, and black ankle boots. Her brassy shoulder length hair was fastened with a wide gray fabric headband to match her scarf. Her toothy grin was met with a furrowed brow and significantly crossed arms by her masculine mirror image.

"Why so serious, Sam?"

"What did you say to Mercedes? She hates me!"

Quinn gasped before retorting "Nothing!"

"Oh really? Well, how do you explain the weird-as-fuck way she was acting after her car ride with _you_ yesterday? I thought you were gonna hook me up, Q?"

"I totally talked you up. Are you sure _you_ didn't do anything inappropriate?" Quinn's calm exterior belied tingles of uncertainty. If Mercedes had blabbed his secret, he would have led with that, so she was at a loss as to what the real problem was.

"I was my natural charming self."

Quinn snorted a little too hard for Sam's liking and he shot her a chastising look. "Damnit, Quinn, this is no time to joke. Tell me everything you talked about."

Trying to cover her tracks she countered with "Wow, are you sure they didn't implant a set of ovaries in you while you were under? Stop being such a girl, Evans."

"What….did….you…say?" Sam questioned intensely.

"Nothing incriminating! Geez. I told her how sweet you are – but now I'm rethinking that – and then we just talked about how we both can't wait to get out of Lima. Tame stuff."

"She wants to leave Lima?"

"Yes. You might be interested to know that she has aspirations to move to LA soon."

Sam lifted his chin and leveled his eyes quizzically at his sister. She returned with a slow nod in concurrence. He couldn't fight off a smile, but managed to keep his arms firmly crossed. Quinn wasn't getting out of this that easily.

"What else?"

"She wants to be a make-up artist. And she said she wants to have 10,000 of your green eyed babies. She wanted me to be sure you knew that."

"Ugh. You're a horrible person, you know that? I have a gaping hole in my side. Would it kill you to take it easy on me?"

"That gaping hole didn't seem to bother you so much when you were getting your mega-flirt on yesterday." She sassily sipped a cup of coffee she snagged on her way in. Sam rolled his eyes and threw his head back onto his pillow. He stared at the ceiling silently with arms still folded.

"Are you praying?" Quinn asked with a snarky jab. Her brother remained silent and shook his head in opposition.

"Seriously, Quinn, did she say anything about me? Did I offend her?"

"Oh my god, NO! I swear, it was a very un-incriminating conversation. Relax." She felt another tingle of uncertainty with a slight guilt chaser. She wondered if Mercedes supposed change in disposition was due to the secret she was tasked to keep. She quickly rationalized her way out of that thinking by asserting "The medical profession can be quite draining. Maybe she's just got a lot on her plate this week. Give her a break."

"She did mention that before my sponge bath."

Quinn's jaw dropped immediately and she moved so that her face was directly over her brother's. "What?"

Sam squirmed and pulled his arms tighter to his chest. Quinn tilted her head pointedly and jutted her chin out as she waited for a now reluctant Sam to expound.

"I may….or my not have…arranged for her to give me a sponge bath." He pursed his lips goofily and squeezed one eye shut in anticipation of his sister's chiding.

"And you wanted to blame _me_ for the weird-as-fuckery? How dare you Samuel Evans, how dare you?"

Sam shrugged playfully and flashed his patented half-smile. Quinn shook her head and offered a playful 'tsk tsk' and wag of her finger.

"I thought it would be sexy. Sponge baths are sexy."

"I don't even….I can't with you." Quinn retorted as she dragged a chair closer to his bed. Once she sat comfortably she began "You're a dirty old man masquerading as 32. The poor woman's probably going to hide out from you – just forewarning."

Sam sighed "You're probably right. She said today's her day off, but she'll be in tomorrow."

"For your sake, you better hope she fakes amnesia or something. Oh…you're so gross."

"At least I'm charming with it."

"Speaking of charming, I talked to Lauren this morning. She sends her best and insists that you spend a few days at their place when you come to visit."

"Tell her not to hold her breath."

"Ass."

"Look, I've still got a lot of healing to do, if you haven't noticed, and I came here on a mission. Sue will have _my ass_ if I don't report back soon. I just don't want people expecting me in a few months when it could take a year or so."

"It's not a big deal. She and Kevin are still new parents, so the offer may be a little premature, but it was a nice gesture. They miss you as much as we do."

"They have my number."

"Don't start sulking again. I beg of you." She took another sip of coffee.

"Alright subject change: you think I still have a shot with Nurse Sexy?"

Quinn sprayed coffee on the side of his bed, barely missing her own clothes. Her eyes wide and patting her mouth, she shook her head and uttered once more "I can't."

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><p><strong>I like to think of this as the chapter house that awkward built. LOL :) Thanks for reading! More up this week as soon as I can. Thank you as always for reading and for comments!<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

******Alrighty then! This chapter needs a *MILD SMUT WARNING* for a certain passage. It's my first ever attempt at writing smutty things, so I apologize if anything is corny or just downright dumb. LOL Thank you for reading and feedback is love to me. Huggles!  
><strong>

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 8<strong>

As promised, Lamont returned to the hospital to check on Sam's post-op progress. Since his arrival back in Lima, Sam and Lamont had spent nearly every other night wise cracking over drinks at The Boom Box. A "bromance" had developed quickly and it was one that was likely to continue even after Sam's eventual return to Los Angeles. After a few drinks Sam was more than willing to spill all of his secrets for he inexplicably found it easy to confide in Lamont. With a usually sunny disposition, warm smile, and every man quality about him, it was hard not to feel comfortable with Lamont Sides.

Quinn sat quietly in her chair; rifling through the pages of the latest issues of Vogue, Glamour, and In Style. Sam (who would remain on a liquid and soft food diet for at least a few more weeks) tortured himself as he watched The Food Network. He salivated as one decadent dish after another was presented beautifully by his (secret) gourmet crush: Ina Garten. There was something about a confident and plump lady who knew her way around a kitchen that excited him beyond compare. She also seemed frighteningly intelligent and cultured which earned gold stars in his book as well. After all, he did grow up accustomed to the finer things in life being the son of an Investment Banker and Interior Decorator.

There was a knock on the door. "It's open." Sam shouted lazily. Quinn looked up to see the tall, dark, and handsome gentlemen whom she'd met only a day before.

"Hey you!" She exclaimed brightly as she moved to give him a hug. Lamont moved to show his bro some love and pulled up a chair on the left side of Sam's bed.

"How you feelin', man?" Lamont queried.

"I'm actually doing better than I thought. This was my first time under the knife."

"And let's hope it's the last." Quinn interjected pointedly.

Sam nodded his head lightly in agreement and continued "So, what's going on with you? Did I miss anything good?"

"Same old, same old. Actually, Sugar hasn't been back to work since the happening." Sam raised an eyebrow suspiciously and started "If she wants to be with an asshole like Puckerman, that's her choice."

"Yeah, but I'm down my best server. She's silly, but she knows how to keep people in the seats and the liquor flowing."

"She's probably just scared….you don't think Puck did anything to her, do you?"

Lamont retorted "Nah man, Puck's crazy, but he aint that crazy. Her daddy's a big time lawyer in Cleveland. If anything happened to her, even Little Finn couldn't get him out of that mess."

Quinn squirmed in her chair and flipped the pages of her magazine loudly. Noah Puckerman was obviously still a sore subject for her personally, but now that was compounded by Sam's current condition. Despite all of the soul sharing, Sam had neglected to give Lamont the full story on why the Evans family left Lima and the sordid history with Puck. Puck's temperament was well known around town and Lamont figured the minor run-ins he previously witnessed between he and Sam were a result of just that and nothing more.

Lamont started again "You know, that young girl with the ukulele came in yesterday asking about you."

"Oh shit that's right! I haven't felt like checking my voicemail. I bet the poor thing's called me a hundred times."

"Nah, she said she tried twice but your mailbox was full so she just wanted to know what was up. I told her you had an accident but that you were ok. She gave me her number if you want to call her when you're up to it." He retrieved a scrap of paper from his wallet and handed it to Sam.

"Thanks man. Yeah, she's just what I've been looking for. If I miss out on this one, Sue Sylvester will have my head on a plate."

"Unless Sony Records is sending spies to Lima, I think your prospect is safe." Sam chuckled at his friend's astute observation before adding "Good point."

Quinn spoke up "I'm starving. I think I'll check out the cafeteria. Do you want anything?" She looked from Lamont to Sam and both waived off the offer.

"Alright. I'll be back soon. You boys behave while I'm gone." She smiled brightly as she exited.

Lamont began "How's my cousin treating you? Is she working today?"

Sam shifted his eyes down nervously. "No, she said she was off today." Lamont snuck a peek at the TV and was instantly entranced by the gooey dessert The Barefoot Contessa was dishing up. Sam struggled with whether or not to pose the questions he desperately wanted answers to. His curiosity and desire got the better of him and he took the leap.

"Lamont?"

Distractedly, he answered "Yeah?"

"Can I ask you about Mercedes?"

"Sure."

"Is she seeing anybody?" Sam thought he knew the answer to this question, but perhaps there was more to the story.

Lamont, still facing the TV, blinked his eyes and turned his head slowly to his buddy. A wicked smile formed on his face. Slyly he began, "What's the deal?"

Sam squirmed a bit and shrugged his shoulders. "Just curious."

His protective cousinly instincts were mostly at bay, but Lamont couldn't help himself. "Are you interested or something?"

"You didn't answer my question." Sam asserted.

Lamont stared at his friend for a few seconds with a sense of knowing and turned back to the TV slowly. It wasn't that Lamont didn't completely trust Sam; but he'd witnessed one too many occasions of serious womanizing attempts at The Boom Box to suddenly give his blessings for a possible pursuit of his beloved cousin. Deciding not to keep his friend in complete torture he prefaced with "Look, as far as I know, she's unattached, but she's different than the other women around here."

"What are you trying to say?" Sam offered with a twinge of defense.

"I'm just saying she's not the type to hang out at The Boom Box. Hell, she'll hardly ever come around and I own the joint. She's just….focused."

"And I'm not?"

"Look man, I think I know you pretty well, even for the short time we've known each other. I definitely know 'Cedes well and I just have to look out for her. As far as family goes, it's kind of just her and me."

"I can respect that, but I just want to get to know her better. I'm not trying to take her to bed." Sam's stomach tightened a bit, partially out of the building intensity of the conversation and partially out of thankfulness that Lamont knew nothing of last night's sponge bath debacle.

Lamont sighed heavily and added "I know you're a good dude and I know you're probably her type but I just don't want to see anything derail her. She's very serious about doing something great with her life and I know that she's been adamant about staying on track at all costs."

Sarcastically, Sam lobbed "Please, tell me how you really feel." He finished with a petty sigh. Feeling a bit remorseful, Lamont clutched his temples and looked back at his friend. "All I'm saying is, if you're really interested, just make sure. She doesn't need any distractions that won't lead anywhere. Not saying you have to marry her, but if you're just looking for a good time while passing through, Mercedes Jones aint the one. And with that, I'm done. Wait, no, it's my family duty to threaten you with physical harm if you hurt her so consider this your fair warning."

Sam stared at his friend with a comically quizzical look and Lamont burst out with laughter. Sam followed suit lightly and added "I appreciate your concern as I'm sure does your cousin. She's sweet and I just want to get to know her better. You don't have to worry. Besides, I'm probably not even her type."

Lamont shot his friend an accusatory look "You think you're slick."

"What?" Sam questioned with feigned innocence.

"You've got a line of jive longer than the Mississippi." The two men chuckled heartily and an understanding was met.

On the other side of town, Mercedes spent the day off doing some light cleaning around her apartment. She'd done laundry earlier in the morning. Folding mounds of clothes as she sat perched in front of the TV, her belly growled as she watched The Barefoot Contessa whip up mouth watering treats. Her phone buzzed with a text message alert. It was Mike Chang re-confirming her attendance for the movie night on Saturday he and his son had planned. She quickly texted back a "You betcha!" and finished it with a smiling emoticon.

In all of the commotion with Sam Evans/Sevans she had nearly forgotten about her social plans. She was also reminded that it had been a few days too long since she'd seen her BFF, Kurt. The urge to text him for an impromptu coffee meet-up came upon her, but as quickly as she picked up her phone, she set it back down. As badly as she wanted to spill all of her guts, she had to stay strong and keeping her distance from Kurt at this time seemed the wisest choice. He could read her like a book, from a mile away at that, and the last thing she needed was Kurt haphazardly sharing information via pillow talk with Blaine.

No matter what she did, every other thought was of Sam/Sevans. She'd try desperately to focus on something mundane and a quick flash of his sexy smile would disrupt her. Again, she'd let her mind drift to something like her grocery shopping list for the next week, and the sense memory of his solid biceps would send a tingle through her. She shook her head with meager hopes that the sexy visions would somehow dislodge themselves. This proved fruitless. The more she tried to push him out of her mind, the more his masculine form, seductive voice, and perfect face muscled their way to the forefront of her consciousness.

The gentle yet forceful way he had grabbed her arm the evening before sent sparks of lust coursing through her veins. His touch was so unexpected and so warm. She couldn't remember the last time a man that wasn't a relative, an aging patient, or gay had touched her. Her breath quickened as did her pulse. Inhaling a rather deep breath, she tried once again to wipe those passionate images out. Returning her focus to the laundry at hand, she picked up a black lacy thong and folded it delicately. As she placed it neatly beside her, she trailed her fingers lazily over the scalloped texture. Her eyelids became heavy as her mind traveled to…..

_Sam lay sleeping in his hospital bed. Mercedes slowly opened the door to his room and peeked around the corner. She smiled sweetly as she saw his chest rise and fall in a relaxed rhythm. Gingerly, she traveled to the left side of his bed. For a moment, she studied his handsome and peaceful face. Reaching out; she softly caressed his stubble marked jaw. He stirred and finally opened his eyes to gaze upon her. She was a lovely vision to wake up to, he thought. A bit groggily he asked "What time is it?" Mercedes smiled sweetly as she relayed "1:30am"_

"_Why are you here so late?" He asked._

"_I wanted to see you one last time before they released you." She whispered._

_A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth and his eyes flashed with delight. "So," he began "was there something you wanted to tell me?"_

"_It's better if I show you." She whispered._

_She lightly ran her fingers through his hair, then planted a single kiss on his forehead. He could feel a blush color his face and his belly tightened. She placed another kiss on his temple, then moved down to his cheek. Next she kissed his jaw and finally nuzzled the left side of his neck. He exhaled strongly and his eyes fluttered as the heat from her breath wafted over him. Their eyes met as she lifted her head and soon his eyes focused themselves on the succulent lower third of her face. She too took a moment to admire his well formed mouth. A sated smile passed across her lips before she planted a hard and sensual kiss on him. Instantly, he parted his lips to allow her tongue entry. She could feel her nipples bead and fight for release from the layers that entrapped them. Sam moved his hands to cup her face as he opened his mouth wider to fully envelope hers. He sucked on her top lip, then the bottom, and then let his tongue probe her ardent cavern again._

_Mercedes' hands trailed to the back of his neck where she untied his hospital gown. She broke their kiss and quickly removed the fabric from his heaving chest. Snaking a hand underneath the covers, she quickly grabbed onto his throbbing member and gently stroked it from base to tip. Their eyes locked forcefully as she alternated massaging his balls, then the full cock and back again._

_Her body was nearly on fire. She kicked off her shoes and swiftly removed her scrub top and pants to reveal a lacy black bra and thong panties. She kept the thong panties in place and quickly removed the bra. As she bent down to kiss him again, he reached out for her buttocks and squeezed them tightly. He ran his fingers under the waist band as his mouth moved down to her chin, then jaw. His tongue lapped her smooth skin wildly as she softly moaned "Oh Sam." Their mouths connected again and he briskly pulled the waistband of her thong over her bountiful ass cheeks. He stroked those cheeks and rubbed furious hands over her thighs before she parted her legs and stepped completely out of the under garment._

"_Get in this bed, now." He growled with fervor. With swift obedience, she brushed the covers completely from his body and straddled her lusty partner. She pressed her breasts firmly against his chest and gyrated against his pelvis with force. Sensual juices flowed freely from her and coated his lower abdomen. Forcefully, he grabbed her waist and positioned her upward to mate his mouth with her nipples. He lapped one then the other, then back again. His tongue was nimble as he rounded the edges of the areola then returned to flick the stiff center points._

_His body was dangerously rigid and ready for mounting. She allowed him to nuzzle her neck one final time before breaking their contact to position herself atop his cock. As she lowered herself slowly onto him, desire scorched her through and through. He felt magnificent as she rocked herself rhythmically forward and up then back and down. His jaw dropped in ecstasy and his eyes rolled back. They lustily huffed in unison._

The sound of Barbra Streisand's "Don't Rain On My Parade" jarred her out of her daydream. Kurt was calling and that was the ring tone she had appropriately selected for him. She chastised herself for letting her imagination take things so far while trying to decide if she should answer or not. His telephonic interruption was obviously a sign that she needed to speak to her best pal.

"Hey Kurt."

"Mercedes, Mercedes, Mercedes!" Kurt practically sang her name and giggled to himself.

"You are so silly. What's going on?"

"Oh nothing, I just put in a bid for our little 'Beauty Squad' to work the biggest social event in Lima and our bid was accepted. No big deal….." he trailed off teasingly.

"Kurt Friedrich Hummel, are you serious?" She exclaimed.

"As serious as a muffin top in mom jeans."

Mercedes giggled heartily and squealed "You wonderful, beautiful man, I could kiss you!"

"I would actually let you, but that would require we actually see each other in person sometime before 2028."

Kurt knew just how to strike the chord of guilt within Mercedes. Sometimes she wondered if he and Mike had secret meetings where they discussed the best methods for guilt inducing and friendly shaming. Sighing heavily she retorted "I know, I know. Look, it's super last minute, but I'm free today. You wanna—"

"Hells yeah!" Kurt interjected with zeal. "I needs my Mercy time, stat!"

She playfully rolled her eyes at Kurt's usage of the term "stat" for it was a recent adoption into his frequent vocabulary thanks to Blaine.

"Wanna grab a table at The Lima Bean in 30 minutes?"

"You know it! See you soon, sweetie!" Kurt chimed.

As she hung up the phone, she looked back down at the lacy black thong. It was as if the delicate fabric were taunting her. Pointing at it sternly, she barked "You are evil." Off to get ready for her overdue reunion with Kurt she went.

When Mercedes arrived at The Lima Bean, Kurt was already sitting in their usual spot. A piping hot mug of caramel-mint hot chocolate was waiting for her. "Aw, you already took care of me? You're the best Kurtie-poo." She said, smiling brightly as she moved to embrace him. They hugged and left each other with soft pecks on the cheek.

"Soooo, what is this I hear about a hot young man-patient on your floor?" Kurt didn't waste any time. If there was a prize for cutting to the chase, he'd win all the awards.

"Oh my god. Really? Blaine just couldn't keep that to himself?" She chuckled and took a slow slip of her sweet beverage. Changing the subject immediately, she leaned forward and parried with "Hello? We have more pressing things to discuss, such as how the heck we ended up getting the Little Miss Buckeye pageant!"

Kurt threw up his hands wildly and proclaimed "Because I'm the mother effin princess! Hadley Warner booked a facial with me last week and you know how she loves to bellyache about having so many things to do and so little time." Mercedes nodded knowingly and continued to sip her hot chocolate.

He continued "So I finally asked her 'Hadley, what can Kurt Hummel do to ease your pain?' and she said 'Find me a fancy stylist for the pageant.' Apparently her fancy pants sister-in-law from Atlanta was ragging on last year's contestants and their get-ups. I was like 'tell me something I _don't_ know!', but of course I didn't say that to her. So of course I suggested she give The Beauty Squad a shot. I told her I could get a lot of people around town to donate props and products and she was over the moon. Hadley is the cheapest woman in town, but she accepted my bid of $1500."

Mercedes' eyes widened at the dollar amount. $750 would be a nice extra chunk of change she thought and a slick smile spread across her face. "Wow, Kurt, you really hooked us up. I could definitely use another $750!" Kurt, who had taken a sip of his non-fat latte, placed his cup down slowly and looked at his dear friend sweetly. He reached over and patted her hand "Sweetie, I mean $1500….each." Mercedes could have fallen out of her chair. "WHAT?" She screamed and suddenly clasped her hand over her mouth. The coffee shop was sparsely populated, but a few heads turned at her sudden exclamation. "Kurt, are you serious?" She whispered emphatically. A toothy grin splayed across his porcelain face as he nodded with pride. Mercedes placed her hand over her heart and looked up to the ceiling, praising Jesus for her shrewd pal Kurt and Hadley Warner's loosened purse strings.

"Now, that's months away, so let's get back to the hottie with a hole in his belly. What's he like?"

Sighing in slight frustration Mercedes began "There's nothing to tell." Her eyes shifted suspiciously and "Inspector Hummel" noticed instantly. "Mercy…." He began in a sing-song "There's something you're not telling me. And if I know you, which I do, I think there's a lot of something you're not telling me. Spill!"

Giggling she began "Kurt, really, there is nothing to tell. I barely know anything about the guy." She hated lying to her best gay, but most of what she said was true. She only knew of his past as a pop super star, but in terms of 'Sam Evans' she was vastly clueless. In light of the incredibly awkward sponge bath attempt, she found herself wanting to remain even more tight lipped than normal. Kurt would have an all out field day with that little nugget of impropriety.

Kurt shot her a sassy arched eyebrow as he slowly partook in another sip of his latte. "Mmm hmm. So we're playing hard ball?" Mercedes offered no response. She looked out the window as she took another sip of her drink. He shook his head and smiled valiantly as he asserted "It's too bad you don't feel like sharing. I guess I'll have to pump his sister for information when Blaine and I have dinner with her tomorrow night, blindly. You know I like to research thoroughly before embarking on a recon mission."

Mercedes' gut jumped with a prick of jealousy. Despite the agony she endured from keeping hush-hush and the subsequent cluster of awkward that took place the night before, she wanted nothing more than to palaver with Quinn. Similar to the fast connection Lamont made with Sam, Mercedes felt very comfortable conversing with the older Evans twin. She felt oddly certain that Quinn wouldn't judge her for revealing her novel past meeting with Sam and allowing teenage fantasies to color their adult exchanges. For a fleeting moment, she thought of Lauren Zizes; the only person who could truly understand how Sevans' sudden reappearance was affecting her life.

Putting on a brave face, Mercedes snapped back to the reality at hand. "Kurt, I hope you have a lovely time with your ringside seat to Blaine fangirling over someone with a vagina that isn't famous – and that isn't me." That little jab felt good and Kurt met it with a sassy eye roll. "Do I look pressed?" he countered.

"She is gah-or-geous. You should be." She took a valiant and draining sip of her hot chocolate.

Kurt clasped his hands together and leaned over the table. He whispered "Seriously, on a scale from busted to super cute, what are we talking?"

"Flawless." Mercedes said emphatically with a proud hint of teasing.

He playfully side eyed his best friend and added "Well, ok then. I can see it's time for princess to bring out the big guns. Tomorrow evening's attire will be provided by Mr. Tom Ford with a little YSL shout – out."

"Gon' head, girl!" Mercedes roused.

Checking his phone; Kurt looked up remorsefully. "Ugh, Mercy, I wish I had more time but I should get going. When will I see you again?"

She ran through a quick mental check list before answering "One of the girls is on vacation so I'm covering her shifts for the next 2 weeks. Hopefully I'll have more free time after that. I'll keep you posted."

He nodded with understanding and stood up to give her a warm embrace and kiss on the cheek. They parted ways.

As Mercedes ambled back to her car, she smiled. She had missed her pal dearly. Most importantly, she marveled at her ability to keep the secret from the one person she hadn't kept a secret from in 5 years.


	9. Chapter 9

And we're baaaaaaackkkkkk! So, I know it's been forever. I do apologize. I'm a lazy, uninspired biyatch sometimes. Please forgive. This is a shorter update than normal, but I promise, a LOT of stuff will happen in Chapter 10. Just you wait! Thanks for reading, as always. I appreciate the reviews and comments here and on tumblr. They really inspire me and keep me writing (I'll do better this time. No more 2 month breaks if I can help it.) - so please keep them coming! I love hearing your thoughts. Alrighty, enjoy this little nugget...

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 9<strong>

A day of trying her hardest to remove all thoughts of Sam Evans from her mind led Mercedes to a night of tossing and turning. It seemed as if every 10 minutes, she would jolt herself out of the beginnings of a sexy dream encounter. Eventually her subconscious played nice and granted her a healthy 8 hour slumber, free of lusty, green eyed blonde men.

The alarm sounded precisely at 7am. She awoke well rested and oddly quite calm about the thought of seeing him again. Since it was Saturday and there was little to no fear of running into Head Nurse Schuester-Milligan, Mercedes opted for a whimsical hair style. Having run across a box of old accessories the day before, she found a familiar pair of hot pink fasteners. They were shiny treble clefs atop skinny black elastic which were in surprisingly good condition after so many years. Opting for pigtails, she carefully applied a neat middle part to her lustrous deep brown waves. She also opted to wear her matching hot pink scrubs and as always, her final cosmetic touch was the signature baby pink lip gloss.

This Saturday at St. Crispin's was as low-key as usual. Visitor numbers were up which meant Mercedes would find herself with more down time on the clock than she would on a weekday. She made sure all of her lower floor patients were well taken care of before making the journey to the 8th floor. As brave as she felt before leaving the house and even once she entered the parking structure: that was no longer the case. During the elevator ride up she could feel the swirls of uncertainty in her stomach's pit returning. She gave herself an extra minute or two by detouring to the women's restroom to try one last pep talk and inhale a few more steadying deep breaths. Prolonging the inevitable no more; she made her way to room 819. With a soft knock and gentle turn of the handle, she entered slowly and found a wide-eyed Sam aimlessly flipping through channels on the television remote.

His eyes lit up as he shot her the most amazing smile ever. The plan was to void all remembrance of the sponge bath faux pas or at least give the appearance so, on both their parts.

"You're back." Sam said softly. Mercedes nodded and flashed him a sweet smile. Her mind was going in so many directions, but none of them as focused as she had hoped. With each second that passed, she felt more and more vulnerable. She had at least 30 minutes to spend with him so she needed to come up with something fast.

"Where's your sister?"

"She was here earlier. Now she's taking a shopping break. She's having dinner tonight with Dr. Anderson and wanted to get a new dress."

That prick of jealousy that dropped in during yesterday's reunion with Kurt was now making a brief appearance. On her drive in to work, Mercedes had psyched herself up to ask Quinn for a moment of girl talk. The secret was killing her and she'd decided she would enlighten Quinn to the past meeting with Sam. Every minute she spent doing the opposite allowed massive doubt and second-thoughts to do their best work.

"Oh yeah, that's right." She moved to the left side of his bed and could feel Sam's unbreakable gaze on her. She gestured to the chair Quinn had left against the night stand and asked "May I?"

"Of course." Sam retorted brightly. He took a deep breath as he carefully moved to sit upright. He wanted the best view of the lovely nurse's face. Once he was settled comfortably, Mercedes spoke.

"So, how are you feeling? Please tell me Nurse Shapiro already checked on you this morning."

"Yeah, bright and early. I'm feeling ok. If I'm being honest…I feel a lot better now that you're here."

Her heart began to pound lightly. She had some difficulty controlling her eyes which began to blink rapidly. Somehow getting back to her senses, she recovered with a small chuckle and added "You're a charmer aren't you Sam Evans?"

"I promise I only use my powers for good, not evil." He playfully growled and finished it with an adorable nose crinkle that threatened to send her over the edge.

There was silence. He couldn't take his eyes off of her and Mercedes was unable to locate a proper response for what seemed like an eternity. As he studied her he noticed the hot pink fasteners in her hair. For a brief moment he cocked his head to the side and a look of questioning splashed across his face. Mercedes took this to mean she'd missed her conversation cue. She glanced downward a bit bashfully and as she lifted her head soon after to speak, Sam interrupted.

"I like your…uh…hair…thingies."

Her eyes fluttered as she instinctively reached for one of them. She couldn't help but don a wide smile as she sweetly replied "Thank you. I know it's cliché, but since it's true: these old things?" Giggling to herself she shyly bit her lip and shook her head. If things kept going the way they were, 'Mercedes Jones Full Dork Mode' was imminent and it was too soon for that. Clearing her throat quickly, she tried to steer things back to Sam's recovery, but he interrupted again.

"Treble clefs? Are you into music?"

"Oh yeah. Into is an understatement!" In normal conversation, this would be the part where Mercedes countered with a musical interest question of her own, but she knew better. So protective of the secret she held and the secret of the man she lov – er – had a "mild" affection for - she opted for a seemingly benign off-topic response.

"Do you like board games?"

Sam countered with an eye squint and a smirk at the random nature of Nurse Sexy's offering. "Um, yeah. It's been forever since I've played anything, though. Why?"

"Well, I just figured you're bored out of your mind and maybe you'd like some company in the form of me and a little Connect Four action. Was that too presumptuous on my part?"

If only she knew how much he desired her company, form, and longed for some action. Letting his lusty tendencies get away from him, he felt his nether regions stiffen as he enjoyed the motion of her lips when she uttered "presumptuous." He sighed with an undertone of flirtation. "Let's play."

Mercedes' eyes lit up like fireworks as she nodded energetically and bolted for the door. Sam couldn't help but look directly at her generous backside as she sashayed away. His nether regions grew more turgid as he shook his head. Had she not been in ear shot, he would've audibly done his best "Have mer-cy" a la Full House's Uncle Jesse. Within moments she returned with Connect Four, as promised, as well as some card games.

"I figured once you got tired of me spanking you in Connect Four, we could move on to Uno or Old Maid." She taunted.

Resisting the urge to remark literally about the spanking, he simply replied "I'm a fierce competitor." His eyebrow arched daringly and a Cheshire grin travelled across his bountiful mouth.

"Oh, I guarantee, you are going down, Sam Evans!" A maniacal giggle erupted from her core. She had to stop with the unintentional innuendo or he wasn't going to survive the next half hour, he thought. It was then that he became ever grateful for the amazingly thick blankets covering the lower portion of his body. Nurse Sexy was loosening up and he adored this newly revealed side of her personality.

"I call red!" Mercedes squawked.

"Fine with me. I've always preferred black."

She wasn't completely certain, but she thought she detected a hint of very direct flirtation in his tone. Brushing it off quickly, she set up the grid and divvied up the playing pieces.

"If memory serves, black goes first." Sam chimed teasingly.

"Oh no way, buddy! Red always goes first!" Mercedes giggled haughtily. She swiftly dropped a red checker down one of the center most rows and shot her handsome opponent a defiant look.

She obviously meant business, and even in his injured state, Sam was compelled to mirror her playful fervor. The rapid procession of checkers down slots, frisky grunts, and celebratory giggles filled the air. Mercedes never earned the nickname "Mercy" and after 5 rounds of Connect Four, Sam wasn't surprised in the least.

"I almost had you on the last one!" Sam grumbled.

"I warned you, Evans. Wanna switch it up? I'll let you pick which game you lose horribly at next." Her perfectly arched brows danced whimsically. Sam folded his arms and with his brass-stubble marked chin motioned towards the stack of Old Maid cards. She grabbed them and began to shuffle.

Old Maid was one of her all time favorite games, and unbeknownst to her, it was one of Sam's too. Every deck was different and she delighted in the characters and wacky names given. Sam delighted in the trickery of the game. He prided himself on his poker face and sleight of hand. It was a rare occasion when Sam Evans was not victorious at this particular game.

She smirked as she flipped over her cards, then rapidly splayed them in search of the Old Maid. Having luckily dealt herself a clean hand she discarded all of the matches. The remaining hand was a sampling of "Archie Astronaut", "Fiona Florist", and "Marvin Magician" to name a few. There was even a "Peter Pop Star". It was inevitable that her heart beat a little faster after discovering this card.

Sam followed suit and reshuffled his cards. His hand was a mix of "Simon Salesman", "Denise Doctor", and "Lucille Lawyer". Strategically placing the Old Maid in between "Peter Pop Star" and "Jonah Judge" he smirked valiantly to himself.

The two took turns carefully selecting cards from the other's hand.

"You know, we're still virtually strangers. I need some answers Miss Jones. It's the least you can do for slaughtering me in Connect Four." Sam piped up with a sexy smirk.

"Are you sure you're not just trying to distract me? We both know what you're holding, mister…." She questioned cheekily.

"I have no idea what you're referring to."

"Mmmhmm."

"But seriously, tell me a little about yourself. I'm assuming you're single. I mean, I hope you are." A bold statement, but he was proud of himself for taking the leap. Mercedes pursed her lips shyly and reached quickly for a card from his hand. Her choice was a good one and as she laid down her newfound match, she retorted "I am a single lady, yes."

"Okay, now you get to ask me a question." He offered as he freely selected a card.

"What's the "P" stand for in your name? AND don't say "perfect"!" She giggled lightly.

"Peter."

"Oh sweet Jesus" she thought to herself. Was the universe trying to be funny? Samuel PETER Evans, a former POP STAR? Old Maid was starting to sound like a bad idea.

"My turn! So, you said you were beyond being into music." Suddenly adopting a nasal and robotic tone; he finished with "Please explain further." She couldn't help but giggle at his random characterization. That "Sevans" dorkiness she adored so many years ago was making an appearance. Her heart jumped slightly. Should she try to steer the conversation away from music yet again, or trust herself not to expose all that she knew?

"It's just…it's everything. I can't imagine a life without it. It brings me all of the joy."

"Do you sing?" He asked pointedly.

She cleared her throat and began to fidget with the tiny gold cross around her neck. "Yeah...yeah, I sing."

"I knew it. I can tell by the timbre of your voice. I bet you can really blow." Amazingly he didn't pick up on his own involuntary innuendo. "I'm actually in the music biz myself."

Her pulse and breath quickened in unison. For a fleeting moment, she entertained the notion that he would now divulge all of his secrets. Perhaps he was surreptitiously working on a comeback album and she'd be the first to learn of it! He'd modestly relay the details of his pop star past and she'd comfortably offer up a "funny story" about meeting him 17 years ago. Then he'd magically remember her, tell her he'd thought about her all of these years, and instantly propose marriage. They'd have a darling little ceremony somewhere in Italy and then—

"Mercedes?"

Sam had been waiting patiently for her to choose a card and continue with her line of questioning as she drifted off for about 20 seconds. The husky tone in which he spoke her name snapped her back to the awkward reality before her.

"Sorry." She said shyly. "I do that sometimes…just drift off. I'm a Gemini. We do that."

"Yeah? I'm a Libra."

"I know." She said casually. Suddenly she cursed herself! She knew "Sevans" was a Libra, but wasn't supposed to know Sam Evans was!

He curiously piped up "How'd you know that?"

Quickly, she remembered "Your date of birth is on your chart. I'm kind of into astrology, so I just pick up on that stuff, I guess." She offered a sweet smile in hopes of combating any further probing on the issue.

No such luck. "So, are we compatible?" He asked cleverly.


	10. Chapter 10

**As promised: words, words, words, and more! (Longest chapter of the series!) Thank you for reading and for feedback. Keep it up, please. I need the laughs!****  
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><p><strong>CHAPTER 10<strong>

Was this fool actually asking THAT question? Yes, yes he was. Mercedes wanted to scram and fast, but she thought better of it, stayed calm and carried on – never mind the fact that she'd known for years what his zodiac sign was and that it was greatly compatible with hers. On some level, she always thought her affinity for him was due in part to astrological fate.

"Actually" she began slowly "we are." Again she quickly reached for a card from his hand. This time she was not as wise, for she had drawn the Old Maid. Screwing up her face in distaste, she shot Sam an accusatory look. His mouth turned down a bit shamefully and he attested "I swear I wasn't trying to throw you off." He then proceeded with a full on puppy dog face and fluttering lashes. He was indeed a stinker and Mercedes saw right through it.

"It's kind of interesting how we're compatible, don't you think?" He asked slyly.

"I think I want to put you on silent mode for the rest of this game, Evans." She huffed with feigned annoyance.

Suddenly Sam placed his cards face down on his lap and threw up his hands. "Let's just call this one a draw?"

"What?" Mercedes squealed. "You trick me and now you want to give up? RUDE!" An involuntary smile crept across her face.

Sam blushed and began pleading his case "No, no, no. There was no trickery involved. That was an honest question and it just so happened that you made a bad, bad, bad card choice."

Mercedes' jaw dropped immediately and she couldn't stop a massive giggle from escaping. She chucked her cards at his chest and Sam grabbed his side in laughter. His fit increased as she folded her arms and gave him the pout to end all pouts. She was too adorable for him to stand and laughing was a good deterrent for his zealous lower body's natural reaction to her beauty.

Shaking her head and rolling her eyes she admitted "I can't believe I fell for that. I'm so easy."

"Fell for what?"

"Ugh! You're ridiculous. You fight dirty."

"I honestly have no earthly idea to what you are referring. So, what do you want to do now?"

Mercedes glanced at the alarm clock on the night stand. She really should have gathered up the games and headed out but she was having such a good time that she uttered "I can give you another 15 minutes and that's it…for now."

Sam displayed a panoramic smile that sent warm tingles to Mercedes' cheeks and which she believed should have been classified as a lethal weapon. Sighing, she looked directly into his eyes and asked "What do _you_ want to do? I take requests if I'm feeling generous."

"Am I to ascertain the lady is in a generous mood?"

"You are an ass - that is correct…."

Sam snorted heartily and nodded his head in agreement. "I had that coming." She gathered up the scattered Old Maid cards and glanced at her companion for a hint of what was to come. He stared back at her unabashedly. She cleared her throat loudly, but Sam's gaze remained steady and his body as still as ever.

"So….?" Mercedes prompted.

"Yes?" Sam answered nimbly.

"Oh my goodness."

"What?"

"Sam, you're not saying anything. You're just….staring…"

"Am I making you uncomfortable? I don't mean to."

"No it's just…nothing. So, how long have you and Quinn been brother and sister?" This was a lofty attempt at shattering the glass case of awkward in which she felt encased.

Emitting a light chuckle, Sam retorted "Do you expect me to believe that you're not used to men staring at you?"

Her eyes widened in disbelief. Obviously at a loss for words, she could only manage a half-hearted shrug of her shoulders as she scratched a feigned itch above her brow.

Feeling magnanimous he started "Okay, I'll go easy on you. Do you have any plans this weekend?"

Cocking her head to the side in gratitude for the benign inquiry, she replied "Not a lot. One of my best friends invited me over for a movie night. It's been a while, so I'm excited."

"That sounds fun. What's her name?"

Flashing a knowing smile, she retorted "_**His**_ name is Mike."

An instant pang of jealousy nipped at his gut. His eyes shot off to the side and he nodded silently. Mercedes would have been required to hand in her W-O-M-A-N card if she didn't relish his obvious reaction the smallest amount. She, now feeling magnanimous herself, assured "Mike and I are old school friends. His little boy Aldo is my godson. I'm like family."

His gut settled at this revelation as he gazed in her direction intently. "So, is Mike married?"

"He's a widower. But, Sophia was like a sister to me when she was here. It was so awful when she passed."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I just miss her, but my loss couldn't measure an eighth of what Aldo and Mike feel. Aldo was only 4 at the time. He kept waking up in the middle of the night wailing for his mommy to come back." She could feel tears queuing just below the surface. "I have to stop. I'm just going to fling snot and everything if I go on." She finished with a light and disarming chuckle. "Sorry."

"No, no. I'm honored that you'd share that with me. I'm sure that's tough. I've never lost anyone like that."

"Really? Count your blessings, Mr. Evans. My dad's gone too."

Why did she mention her father? The reservoir of tears could no longer hold and a light stream poured out of one eye, then quickly, the other. She was incredibly embarrassed and held her head in her hands. Her words were muffled as she spoke "Oh my god. I am SO sorry. I don't normally do this." She sniffled and looked up at an angelic faced Sam. His face poised with concern and understanding; he gently uttered "You're fine. Just let it out."

Her body couldn't resist his urging and the tears flowed once again. He had this kindness that emanated so freely towards the virtual stranger before him. Her head shook repeatedly and as she wiped tears away in a rapid succession she bravely tried to speak through tightened vocal chords. "Oh lord, I'm not usually such a cry baby, I swear, Sam." The softness in her voice as she said his name sent a twinge to his heart. All he wanted to do was console this beautiful, mysterious creature so near to him. Damn his blasted gut wound! Had he been at full strength, he would've scooped her up and held her so close, to the point of suffocation. He'd have done anything in an effort to calm and let her know how he already cared so much for her.

She pressed her palms firmly to the corners of her eyes in hopes of staunching the vast flow. Exhaling forcefully, she claimed "This is what I get for suppressing everything. Hold it in and it just erupts on you. At the most inopportune time, at that…goodness me." She tried to smile bravely.

Clearing his throat and rubbing her delicate and tear damp hand, he offered "If there's anything else in there you're holding onto, just let it out." Her eyes quickly shot to his. Those inviting green pools seemed to command her. For the briefest of moments she felt courageous enough to tell all that she knew of him. Letting caution guide her once again, she dismissed the motivation. She would wait until she at least had a chance to discuss things with Quinn. After all, she wasn't that familiar with Sam Evans the man. The last thing she wanted to do was upset him in any way and possibly ruin any future connection they could have. She attempted to pull her hand toward herself, but Sam held onto it. His thumb continued to gently stroke the back of her smooth hand and she posted a half smile. He returned the facial expression.

"Mercedes?"

"Yes?"

"You are so beautiful. I can't stand it."

She snorted in disbelief. "What? I'm hideous. I look ridiculous right now." She shook her head in opposition and began to twirl the end of one of her pigtails.

"I'm serious." His eyes were as steady as ever.

She looked back into his eyes and the two stared in silence. Sam blinked and licked his lips. Mercedes bit her lip as her heart began to pound and her breath quickened.

With a determined glint in his eye he finally spoke "Come closer to me."

As if she were no longer in control of her own body, she instantly rose from the chair and stood flush to the railing on his hospital bed. Her earthen eyes searched his verdant orbs as she towered above him. His hand drifted up her forearm to her elbow. He pulled her closer and she knelt down. He inhaled her tropical scent and headiness overtook him. His eyes zeroed in on her luscious lips and his mouth parted as her eyes fluttered shut. His heart beat so fast and his manhood ached. He was so close she could almost feel the prickle of the stubbly corners of his mouth.

Suddenly the door clicked open.

"I'm back!" Quinn exclaimed. She stopped short and her mouth gaped open as she uttered "Oh my god…"

Mercedes' eyes flung open and she backed away swiftly. Her mouth agape and breathing heavily; she straightened her hair and stared intently at the ground. Sam's weighty breath mirrored Mercedes' and he blinked forcefully as he looked down at his hands.

"I…um…I…oh my god…" Quinn sputtered.

Stillness befell everyone in the room. Finally Mercedes forced herself to look at Quinn. She sighed hopelessly and felt a hot batch of tears at the ready. Before she could move, the droplets began to fall again. She glanced back at Sam who returned with a searching gaze, as if begging her not to run away. Embarrassment overpowered her senses and she moved for the door without speaking. Sam flicked his eyes upward to the ceiling and sighed. He cursed his injured state yet again. Quinn remained frozen as she watched Mercedes leave. Once the door clicked shut, she snapped to attention and threw down her armful of shopping bags. Sam sat silently cursing himself and his sister's horrible timing.

"Sam….?"

"Yes, Quinn?" he growled.

"I don't know what I just walked into, but I want to say that I'm sorry."

Sam huffed and ran a massive hand through his hair. "There's nothing to apologize for."

Back to her normal self "It sure as hell looked like something…a lot of something!"

Her brother shot her a forceful look before adding "Drop it."

Sighing she added "Well, at least you kept your clothes on this time."

Another death stare floated her way and she smirked before backing away towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Sam grumbled.

"To fix things."

His jaw quickly unhinged and before he could utter a syllable the door clicked shut. He was now left alone with only his thoughts. This was going to be a nightmare.

Quinn looked down the hallway just outside of room 819. There was no sign of Mercedes. She swiftly paced over to the nurses station and inquired with the young lady perched at the desk. "Excuse me - did you see which way Nurse Jones went?" It was now visible that the young nurse had a telephone receiver glued to her right ear. She looked up silently and raised her eyebrows signaling for Quinn to repeat the question. "Nurse Jones? Which way did she go?" The young nurse pointed to her left down the hallway. Quinn mouthed "Thank you" and walked away. It was just a hunch, but her hunches were usually correct, so Quinn breezed into the women's restroom. Her eyes landed on a sniffling Mercedes situated at the sink where a pile of crumpled tissues had already accumulated. When their eyes met, Mercedes whimpered "Oh god" and bolted for an empty stall. She was in no state to see or talk to anyone, especially the sister of the patient she almost kissed and the sister of the former pop star whose secret she'd regretfully been tasked to keep.

"Mercedes, don't you dare!" Quinn commanded as she moved quickly to embrace the affected nurse. Once she wrapped her wispy arms around the nurse's voluptuous form she started again "It's ok. You don't have to be embarrassed. Let's talk about this."

Oddly, Mercedes did not attempt to break away from the slender woman's body grip. She simply sighed and dropped her head. Quinn squeezed Mercedes tighter as she uttered "You can tell me anything."

"Oh god, that's what he said. That's how I'm in this mess in the first place! You two really are twins!" Mercedes squealed, then, finished with an uneasy chuckle. Quinn removed her grasp of Mercedes' middle and spun her around, then placed hands on either shoulder.

"I promise I won't try and kiss you." Quinn lightly teased in a hopeful effort at obtaining another chuckle from the emotionally wrenched beauty. The attempt was mildly successful. Mercedes tried to smile.

Quinn pivoted to her side and snaked an arm around her back. "Let's go sit and talk this out. Okay? I promise it'll make you feel better."

This was the opportunity Mercedes had waited so long for, so she nodded and the ladies made their way outside. Wanting to distance herself as much as possible from the younger Evans twin for now; Mercedes suggested they talk downstairs near the main entrance. There was a lovely water fountain and bench area where the ladies situated.

"First, let me apologize for interrupting." Quinn began.

"Oh gosh, like you knew what you were walking into? I don't even know how we got to that point. It just…."

"Happened?" Quinn interjected.

Mercedes looked at her bashfully and nodded her head frantically. She then grabbed her temples and continued "I actually wanted to talk to you about Sam."

"Ok. Shoot." Quinn said freely.

"This is so hard."

"Nothing will shock me, I told you that. Please, go on."

"I know you asked me to keep his 'secret' – and I have!" Mercedes quickly assured. Quinn nodded with understanding.

"But, there's something I've been keeping secret from you. Actually, no one else really knows."

Quinn's eyes were steady as she silently urged the conversation to continue.

"I'm sure you could tell I was a bit of a 'fan' of Sev" Mercedes stopped herself, looked around sharply, and spoke again in a brief whisper "Sevans?" Quinn nodded.

"Well, I was a huge fan."

"That doesn't sound incriminating."

"Ugh, why is this so hard? Ok, I've met Sam before. Or, Sevans."

"How so?"

"When he was on the I Am Unicorn tour in 2010, my best friend and I won tickets and backstage passes."

"Oh. Ok." Quinn was unaffected. Mercedes just sat there. Quinn piped up after a moment "Is that it?" Before Mercedes could speak Quinn frantically scream-whispered "Oh god, did you sleep with him?"

Mercedes' eyes bulged and she rapidly shook her head in opposition. "No, no, oh my lord, no!" She grabbed her chest and Quinn mirrored her motion.

"I'm sorry for assuming! I just…nevermind. I'm sorry."

"Nothing happened. I mean, nothing he'd probably remember. It was just a dream come true for my 16 year old self. I thought I was going to MARRY Sevans…just like every other girl. Stupid, I know."

"I can't scoff. It is possible. I married a former pop-star myself."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I actually married Artie Abrams."

Mercedes' mouth gaped and she bellowed "Shut up!"

Quinn nodded proudly as she sported a Cheshire grin.

Mercedes clutched her chest again and sighed. "That is crazy."

"Tell me about it. It wasn't easy though. Artie pursued me for a while, but I resisted because of the musician thing and he was besties with my baby brother. Yech." The two ladies giggled as if they were lifelong friends.

Quinn continued "but, I'm glad I gave him a chance. It's the best thing I ever did, next to Dominic and Olivia."

Mercedes screwed up her face and Quinn added with a smile "Those are our children."

"Those are nice names."

"Was there anything else?" Quinn urged.

"That's it. I just…I know I'm not supposed to know about Sevans, but I didn't want to hide the fact that I really knew who he was. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Seeing him after all these years and learning that he's ok and sort of getting to know Sam as a man, it's just been a whirlwind. I was so scared that Sevans had died in Europe. I'm sure you guys knew about all those crazy tabloid rumors. When he turned up at St. Crispin's, it was just such a shock. I felt like I was 16 again. So silly, I know."

"It's not silly. It sounds like you really had a connection."

"I thought so, but you know how teenage hormones are. What you want is what you see and feel, but it's so strange because from the moment I saw him in his room here, I felt this…this..thing. I don't know how to put a proper word to it."

"It happens. Do you believe in fate? Don't rule that out."

"Ha! Yeah, I kind of do, but I'm also a realist. I'm constantly at odds with myself. I put on a good show, but I'm a mess inside, most of the time. I'm a Gemini."

"Oh lord yes! I'm a Libra. We air signs are such a danger to our mental selves." Quinn squawked.

"You're into astrology?"

"Oh yeah. It's the only thing that could help me figure out what was "wrong" with my brain when I was younger."

"Me too!"

The two women smiled at each other; their kindred spirits comingling and the bond of sisterhood deepening with each personal revelation.

Quinn chimed "Wow. No wonder you and Sam have this electric thing going on. Your astro-compatibility is off the charts."

Mercedes nodded emphatically. "I thought I was crazy for feeling that, but it makes so much sense, right?" Quinn agreed.

"Which show did you see? On the tour, I mean?"

"The last night in Columbus."

"Shut up."

"Yeah."

"I think I saw you that night."

"What?" Mercedes asked suspiciously.

"I was interning with Unicorn Records that summer and Sam asked if I could be his moral support on tour. We were always kind of inseparable. Anyway, I was in charge of handling the contest winners."

Mercedes quickly jogged her memory back to that August night in 2010. She sputtered "You were 'clipboard girl'!" Quinn nodded and the two laughed heartily.

"Oh my god! This is insane!" Mercedes squealed.

Suddenly Quinn stopped. "Mercedes…..I've only ever heard that nickname from one other person."

Mercedes' eyes squint and her chin jutted out in confusion.

"Was your best friend, Lauren?"

"Wow, good memory!"

"Mercedes!"

"Quinn?"

"Mercedes!"

"What? What?"

"Oh my god, talk about fate. This is insanity!"

"What? Tell me what you're talking about, woman!"

Quinn looked up to the sky and laughed harder than ever. "Mercedes - Lauren Zizes?"

"Um, yeah?"

"She goes by Lauren Zizes-McHale now."

"Okay….." Suddenly Mercedes stopped. Quinn was silent as she studied the gamut of facial expressions on her new friend's face, trying desperately to put the pieces together. Once the mental computation finished, Mercedes clutched her chest and shouted forcefully "NO!"

"Yes!"

"Quinn!"

"Yes!"

Mercedes erupted: "Lauren Zizes married Kevin McHale - formerly Kevin Abrams - who is the brother of Artie Abrams - who is YOUR husband - which means my childhood best friend is your sister-in-law and is sort of related to Sam Evans!"

"Bingo!"

"Oh my god. And Lauren married her pop star crush. This IS the definition of INSANITY! How did this happen?"

"It's fate, my love." Quinn giggled again proudly and squeezed Mercedes' hand.

Mercedes' eyes fluttered and she sighed with satisfaction. "Wow."

Quinn started "What I'm trying to figure out is how you didn't know this stuff. You two were best friends?"

"Yeah, we were inseparable too, but after high school we went our separate ways, and life happened, blah, blah, blah. There was no falling out, it just kind of happened. I've thought about her so much over the years."

"Girl, that's what TumblFaceTwit is for!"

(After the abysmal Facebook IPO of 2012, the social networking community took pity and banded together to create the ultimate online experience - hence the ridiculous name.)

"We've got to get you a profile set up. But for now, I'm going to call my sister-in-law and give her the good news. Today has been amazing. There was a sale at Macy's and now this!"

Suddenly Mercedes felt a pang of uncertainty. "Quinn…" she began slowly "What about Sam?"

"What do you mean?"

"All of this news is great, but how do I tell him without offending him, since he's so sensitive about his past?"

"You let me handle him, ok?"

"But what do I say? Or do I say anything?"

Quinn brought an index finger to her chin and tapped it lightly as she calculated the situation. "Do you plan on visiting him later today?"

Having momentarily forgotten about the awkward almost-kiss from moments earlier, she instantly sunk down on the bench. "If I can avoid it, I'd rather not."

She answered honestly. Yes, all of the new revelations were life changing and wonderful, but there were still a lot of man-to-woman things left unsaid between Nurse Sexy and Stitches McGee. There was also the issue of work place impropriety that plagued Mercedes. Her heart and her body wanted him, but decorum frowned upon her actions from earlier. She prayed the scary head nurse never found out about all of the extra attention she paid to the inhabitant of room 819. No matter what happened, Sam was a patient, she was a nurse, and her job served a greater financial purpose than anyone could ever properly comprehend. If she continued to knowingly jeopardize that, she'd never forgive herself if/when things came crashing down. Hollywood was the goal and even an impossibly gorgeous, former pop star crush couldn't be allowed to derail her, especially when she was so close.

"I leave tomorrow night. I'd like to talk to him for you today and then you can take the reins when I'm gone?"

Mercedes nodded. Quinn placed a gentle hand on her back. "It will be fine, I promise." She winked and squeezed Mercedes tightly.

"Well, all of this reminiscing has me famished. I need to hit up the cafeteria." Quinn asserted.

Mercedes smiled "I wish I could go with you, but I should get back to my patients." Quinn put on a pouty face but nodded in understanding.

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out "Mercedes!" She looked up to see Mike and Aldo hurtling towards her.

"Mike, Aldo? What's up?"

He was a little breathless as Aldo let go of his hand and threw himself on top of Mercedes. Quinn smiled at the adorable little boy's physical expression and eyed up the handsome, statuesque Asian man before them.

"I tried to call."

Quinn interjected "I'm gonna head back in. I'll see you later, Mercedes?" Mercedes nodded and Quinn exited quickly.

"Mike, baby, what's wrong?" She squeezed Aldo tightly in her arms. "Is it Aldo?"

"No, it's your mom."

"What?"

"Francesca called me about 30 minutes ago."

"From Italy?"

"Yeah, she said your mom and stepdad were in a bad car accident. Of course she didn't know who she was until they sorted their belongings and a picture of you and Bea fell out of Bea's purse. She called me immediately."

Mike's wife Sophia was a full blooded Italian woman. They had met as Ohio State Freshmen in an Intro to Dance course. Sophia was a performing arts exchange student from Lavenzzi University in Rome. There was an instant connection and it was definitely love at first sight. The day they met, Mike talked MJ's ear off during campus dinner that night. When Sophia and MJ finally met, they were fast friends and it was no surprise to Mercedes why Mike had fallen so hard and so fast. Sophia was lovely: obviously beautiful with a dancer's body and an exquisite olive complexion. She had an adorably thick accent and a gentle spirit. She was perfect for Mike.

Immediately after graduation, Mike Chang married Sophia DiVinetti and produced a gorgeous, bouncing Italian-Asian baby boy named Aldo Marcus Chang. Aldo was their pride and joy and he only increased Sophia and Mike's intense love for one another. When Aldo was 3 and half years old, Sophia learned she had an aggressive brain tumor. Less than 5 months later, Sophia passed away and all of Mike's dreams were shattered. If it hadn't been for Aldo and MJ, Mike wouldn't have survived such a loss. Sophia was the love of his life and to lose her so quickly and to know that Aldo would never get to know her the way a boy should know his mother, destroyed him. They had planned to open a dance studio in town, but his love for dance was so deeply rooted in his life and love with Sophia that he closed the door on that dream. Soon after, he took up Emergency Medical Technician training. He couldn't save his wife and Aldo's mother, but perhaps he could save someone else and navigating an ambulance was one of the furthest things from dance he could find.

Sophia's family made a vow to keep in touch despite the loss of their daughter. Aldo was their only grandchild, and Mike was the son they never had. As painful as it was in the beginning, Francesca and Lorenzio DiVinetti made sure to call each week and once Aldo was old enough to operate a computer, they would Skype a few times a month. While Sophia was alive, her parents visited Lima and MJ accepted a dinner invitation.

The DiVinettis instantly fell in love with the Changs bubbly best friend and joked about adopting her. Francesca and MJ bonded over fashion. After that visit, they became occasional pen pals and Francesca would send MJ snapshots of the newest designer window displays, often times more than a few months before they hit NYC. Mercedes felt like a fashion insider. The two also had another thing in common: nursing. Although MJ fell into it by accident and later in life than normal, it was something the ladies would discuss here and there in their letters.

Francesca is currently the head nurse at La Scusi Ospedale - Roma (La Scusi Hospital – Rome). Naturally, when she spied a snapshot of her adopted American daughter in a victim's purse, she put the pieces together. It didn't hurt that Mercedes was the spitting image of the older woman in the photo whose life now hung in the balance under her staff's medical care.

"I appreciate Francesca's concern, but you know how things are with my mom."

"MJ, I wouldn't have even bothered you with it if it weren't serious. Francesca thinks you need to be there….they might not make it."

Suddenly, a feeling Mercedes had grown unaccustomed to over the past decade sprang up: concern, more specifically, for her mother.

Beatrice Jones' abrupt marriage to businessman Thaddeus Barker IV was not well received by her still grieving daughter. Mercedes saw it as a grand slap in the face; even going so far as to compare it (in a drunken crying fit - in Mike and Sophia Chang's kitchen - in the wee hours of the night) to a Hamlet-esque betrayal. They hadn't spoken in years and neither made efforts to contact. If her Aunt Dot (Lamont's mother/Bea's sister – Dorothy Sides) had received Beatrice Barker intel over the years, Mercedes would refuse to hear it.

"Even if I cared, I can't afford to go and I can't take the time off. I'm picking up all the extra shifts I can handle as it is. This is just like her."

Mike's eyes narrowed. "MJ, do you hear yourself? This is the only parent you have left. If it was Aldo, what would you tell him to do?"

It was just like Mike to talk the utmost sense into Mercedes and make her feel horrible all the while courageous enough to tackle whatever came. He was the most grounded, sincere man she'd ever known and his words stung. She had already spilled tears over Sophia and her father today, she didn't want a round 2, at least not in front of the Chang men she adored.

Mike continued with his gaze steady upon his best friend "And you know I'm driving you to the airport and lending you money for a ticket and whatever else you need. Pay me back whenever. This is serious. Francesca wouldn't make a big deal about this if it weren't necessary."

Mercedes sighed heavily and looked into the face of her gorgeous little godson. It was a shame that this was the first time she'd seen him in months and would have to cancel the movie night they so looked forward to. She looked into Mike's eyes and nodded with understanding.

"I guess I better clock out and pack."

"You do that and I'll book your flight. Call me when you get home and we'll coordinate from there. Okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

She stood up and still had an Aldo attached to her neck. He loved his "Aunt MJ" so much and would hold on to her tightly throughout the drive to the airport and their good-bye's at the departing terminal. She gave him a sweet kiss on the cheek. Mike hugged her tightly and finished with a peck on the cheek. She turned back to wave one last time. Aldo hugged his father's waist as they exited.

Mercedes found her seat and settled in. Luckily her iPod was fully charged for the extended flight. Thoughts of her mother mingled with memories of the day she'd had and all she had learned. She'd solidified a new girlfriend (whom she one day hoped she could legally refer to as "sis"), seen her baby boy Aldo after an embarrassingly long time, and thanked god once again for giving her a best friend in Mike Chang. As she relaxed her eyes and snuggled up with a blanket, she drifted off with the music of Sevans dancing in her ears.

The day had come and gone and Sam hadn't seen Nurse Jones since their intense moment from the late morning. Quinn refused to discuss anything regarding Mercedes until one hour before visiting hours ended at St. Crispin's. Sam fumed for a good 5 hours. Finally, looking up from her People magazine, she spoke.

"I'm leaving soon for my dinner date with Dr. Anderson and his boyfriend."

"Good for you." Sam retorted dryly.

"I thought I'd leave you with a little dish."

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked with a tone of annoyance.

"Do you remember the last night of the Unicorn tour?"

His arms folded, he shot his sister a pair of serious eyes. "What the hell does that have to do with anything?"

"Just answer the question, baby brother."

With arms still firmly crossed, he huffed and pointedly rolled his eyes before answering "Of course I remember."

"Does 'MJ' still ring a bell?"

Sam's body tightened. "Michael Jack-" he began, but Quinn interjected harshly.

"Oh my god, Sam, not THE MJ, but MJ from the Columbus show?"

"Yeah, I guess?"

"Did it ever occur to you that could stand for Mercedes Jones?"

There was silence. His immediate reaction was to scoff at the far reaching logic, but his brain was instantly flooded with memories from August 19, 2010. Suddenly, he remembered the pig tails with pink treble clef hair fasteners…baby pink lip gloss…button nose…hypnotic chocolaty eyes….

His mouth agape, he turned his head slowly toward his sister.

She raised a questioning eyebrow and waited for him to speak.

"You're shitting me."

"I'm a former model; we don't shit."

Quinn chuckled valiantly to herself as she watched a cherished truth register on her brother's face.


	11. Chapter 11

**And we're baaaaaack! Thank you, oh so patient readers and reviewers! I do apologize again for the lengthy hiatus. Your continued support has been lovely and please keep it coming. Let me know what you think. Feedback is always massively appreciated. I know this is probably shorter than what you'd like after such a long break, but I just needed to get back in writing stride and I hope to start Chapter 12 tomorrow, so maybe you'll have that by the end of the week. Thoughts? Concerns? Comments? Questions? Please call 1-800-... Huggles! **

**Please forgive any typos or grammatical errors. I'm only part human. ;)  
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><p><strong>Chapter 11<strong>

The next morning, Quinn and Sam shared a warm goodbye. Although she'd missed her twin brother and had a wonderful time: reconnecting with Blaine, meeting Kurt, meeting Lamont and most of all meeting Mercedes, she couldn't wait to get back to her east coast brood. In just 3 short days, she'd felt like she missed as much as 3 years of her baby girl and baby boy's life. They were far past infancy, but in their mother's eyes, Dominic and Olivia Abrams would always be gurgling, cooing bundles of joy. Mr. Abrams wasn't far from her mind either. Unbeknownst to him, when his stunning wife returned he'd receive the biggest, sloppiest kiss she could muster. He'd also get some interesting news about his brother-in-law's progressing love life.

Artie and Quinn had worried about Sam long before his unfortunate stabbing. For several years after the teen pop wave died down, Sam had suffered through depression. He was never in danger of taking his own life, but he was definitely considered "shaky" at times. A string of casual hook-ups with former groupies left the younger Evans twin grossly unfulfilled. Matters were not made better by Quinn and Artie's impending nuptials in the summer of 2016. It seemed like everyone was moving on from the Unicorn Records days but him. The one woman (outside of his sister and mother) whom he could trust and loved him unconditionally seemed to be non-existent. Sam feared he would always be alone and this was a frightening thought considering his natural need for companionship. He loved being alone with his music, but he longed for someone to share his life with.

College was Quinn's pursuit, not his, and after one semester at UC Santa Barbara, Sam moved back with his parents in Bel-Air and passed the time writing music. He would produce for other artists on occasion under the alias "Pete Samuels", so despite the tabloid lies at the time, he was very much alive and working. Sam never fully embraced the pop star moniker. It was undeniable that the throngs of heated tweens and teenagers screaming his name and clamoring for his autograph was a delight to his developing male ego. However, there was a bit of shyness to his nature that he tried desperately to hide. Sue Sylvester made it quite clear to him early on that he had to be available and present for his public. She impressed upon him that shyness ultimately meant low exposure and reduced interest, which computed into low record sales, which equaled "as good as dead in the industry." Letting his natural charm supersede his natural timidity, he powered through and garnered plenty of interest during his time in the spotlight.

His pals Artie and Kevin gave it their best try at finding him some worthy candidates for his affections, but none of them were ever the right fit. Sam would never tell another soul, but there was always a part of him that pined for the sweet girl he met on that summer night in 2010. In reality, they'd spent less than 20 minutes time together, but the connection was so palpable that it lingered for years. He'd spend hours wondering where she was and what she was doing. He wondered if she ever thought about him. How he wished he'd had five more minutes to get her contact information that night. Truth be told, he was still a bit too shy to ask. Sam was so instantly attracted to this mysterious, sweet, bubbly girl named MJ. That had literally never happened before. She was special. His heart knew it; his soul knew it.

That night on the long bus ride back to the west coast his mind danced with fantasies of meeting her again. Too excited to sleep and inspiration flooding his brain, he scribbled out the lyrics to a love song he'd never record. These were sacred words for that lovely soul named MJ that he quietly hoped would cross his path once again. It was that night that he vowed to only fall in love - truly in love- with someone that touched him the way MJ had. The chances of this vow actualizing were slim, but he had a long, uncharted path before him as was the nature of that crazy thing called life.

"Samuel, I want you to behave yourself." Quinn demanded playfully.

From his hospital bed, Sam reached lovingly for his sister and enveloped her firmly. He may have been recovering from an unpleasant puncture to his abdomen, but his brute strength was ever present. He nearly squeezed the air out of his sister's lungs.

Quinn squeaked out "Sam – I- can't-breathe." He released her and smiled liked a cartoon shark. His eyes danced with excitement despite the fact that this was the last time they'd see each other for an indefinite amount of time.

"Sorry." Sam drawled with light apology.

"No, I know you're excited about Mercedes. Just please don't hurt the poor woman…or yourself, baby brother." She smiled sweetly as she grabbed her midsection; feigning bruised ribs from Sam's overzealous embrace.

"How do I look?"

"As handsome as ever."

"No really, does my hair look ok? Shit, I should have shaved!"

"Oh my god Sam, the way you two look at each other, I'd say a little case of beard burn is no problem for Mercedes Jones."

The corners of Sam's mouth turned up in a shy smile and his eyes darted down quickly. A hint of blush colored his cheeks as he thought lovingly of finally kissing those delicious lips of hers. In all honesty, his concern about shaving wasn't forethought of their mouths meeting but a desire to look as presentable as possible from a post-op hospital bed.

"Damn, I can't wait to see her."

"I know." Quinn uttered assuredly. She delighted in seeing her younger brother so excited and full of life. Never mind the past few days under medical care, this was the happiest she'd seen him in almost a decade. He was definitely rejuvenated to say the least.

She spoke again, "Just be you and be patient. You've waited this long. If she needs time, just give it to her."

Their eyes met as Sam nodded with seriousness. Quinn knew him better than anyone and it was unlikely that she'd be wrong where this situation was concerned. Flashing him a motherly look, she reached for his hair to give it a ruffle. He quickly leaned back defensively and she couldn't help but chuckle to herself. She cupped his face in her hands and planted a sweet peck on his stubbly jaw. Their hands clasped one last time and Quinn was gone.

He'd been up since 6am. Nurse Shapiro checked in around that time, then at 8am shortly after Quinn's departure. He was sure that any minute Mercedes would burst through the door for 10 am had finally rolled around. A mix of giddiness and nerves swirled within him. It had been a long 24 hours and then some for Sam. He hoped that when he saw her his words wouldn't fail him.

The door creaked open. The pit of his stomach lurched and he gave a slight wince as he took the last few seconds to steady himself. His eyes settled on….Nurse Shapiro…again. Sam grimaced involuntarily at the swarthy 46 year old with raven hair and olive tinted hazel eyes.

"Nice to see you too, Sunshine." Nurse Shapiro squawked in defense.

"Oh, no, I just….I thought….where's…." Sam mumbled.

"I don't know honey. I haven't heard from her. She's usually here on time. Maybe car trouble? Although…she would have called by now…" Nurse Shapiro trailed off.

It was then that Sam began to worry. A miserable feeling took hold of his chest. Despite Quinn's insistence and her revelations, perhaps Mercedes' mind had changed overnight and she was now avoiding him for good? He pulled his mouth in with disappointment as he gazed down at his hands. His thumbs twiddled absently and his jaw clenched. Nurse Shapiro managed to get a breakfast order out of a sulking Sam and left him to his own lamentations. Breakfast came and went and still there was no sign of Mercedes. Once noon approached, he had given up on her appearance for the day. Perhaps she had taken the day off last minute and she'd come back on Monday. He wouldn't give up just yet. Like Quinn had said, he'd waited this long, he could wait a little longer.

There was a swift knock on his door. He answered "Come in" dryly. His eyes settled on the handsome Dr. Anderson to a bit of displeasure.

"Hi Mr. Evans." Blaine spoke as he beamed.

"Hi Doc."

"How is everything? Are you in any pain or discomfort?"

Sam snorted internally. "_If you only knew_."– he thought to himself.

"I'm fine."

"Good to hear. You seem to be healing quite nicely. Keep this up and you'll be out of here by next week."

Sam brandished his trademark half smile and nodded absently. Blaine eyed his obviously troubled patient with concern. After such a wonderful reunion dinner with Quinn he felt compelled to take extra special care of the younger Evans twin.

"Sam…" Blaine began slowly. "Are you sure everything is alright?"

For a moment Sam contemplated questioning Mercedes' whereabouts but he thought it too forward at this stage. Dr. Anderson was his sister's friend, not his and he didn't feel very comfortable expounding on his deep interest in one of his nurses.

"Yeah Doc…just…probably getting cabin fever or something already."

Blaine nodded with understanding but remained 80% unconvinced. If there was one trait he picked up from the love of his life, Kurt Hummel, it was how to dig for information – relentlessly.

"If you're feeling strong enough to walk around, I'd be more than happy to accompany you on a short trip around the water fountain. Some fresh air would do you a world of wonder, I'm sure."

Sam thought for a moment. It had been 5 days since he'd been outside and actually seen the sun. For all he knew, the rest of St. Crispin's was nothing but a taupe hued extension of his room. Ten minutes later, Sam was relieved to see a colorful and friendly world outside of room 819. Bracing his wound and his IV stand he and Blaine made their way down to the water fountain at the hospital's front entrance. There was a cool breeze that tickled a bunch of bright yellow marigolds and hot pink begonias at the fountain's base. A sudden vision of Mercedes with one of those lovely begonias nestled in her chocolaty waves made his heart skip a beat. The two men sat for a moment on the very same bench where Mercedes spilled her secrets to Quinn.

Taking a deep breath, Sam let the fresh Midwest air permeate his lungs. His sun-starved skin warmed in the midday glow. Blaine's bright hazel eyes peered at Sam as he prepared to breach the silence.

"So, this was good, no?" Blaine chirped eagerly.

"Yeah. I've forgotten how quiet Lima can be sometimes."

"Oh, that's right, you've been living in Los Angeles all this time."

"Yeah. It's sunny, but loud. And lonely." Sam caught himself but not before letting an all too telling phrase escape. He prayed Blaine would let those last two words slide by without question.

"Lonely? How so?" Blaine piped up to Sam's regret.

"Aw, just, you know what they say. So many people but still lonely." Sam shifted uneasily while still clutching his wound.

"It must be difficult with Quinn being all the way in New York as well. I remember her telling me how close you two were, even in school."

"Doc, is this an intervention? Oh god, did Quinn enlist you to look after me?" He chuckled lightly.

Blaine threw his hands up in defense. "No, no…well…maybe just a little bit." He gestured commonly with his finely manicured thumb and index finger. The two men shared wide smiles and light chuckles.

"I'm ok. I promise."

Screwing up his face and shaking his head delicately in opposition, Blaine chimed in "You say that, but I can sense something's wrong. If it's not medical, it must be something else."

Blaine's kind and concerned face was a force to be reckoned with. His bedside manner was impeccable and his new skills at digging were making it difficult for Sam to keep up his charade of bravado. The blonde man winced and pulled his mouth in bashfully. The brunette man arched an eyebrow in expectation of a retort. Throwing caution to the small-Ohio-town wind, Sam looked pointedly at the doctor and said "It's Nurse Jones."

Blaine shifted and placed his hands on his thighs, bracing himself for an uncharacteristic complaint against his favorite lady friend.

"What's going on?"

"It's just- she…." Sam trailed off, feeling less brave than a few seconds prior.

Doctor Anderson interjected "Do you have an issue with her?"

Sam let out a heavy breath and uttered "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

Doctor Anderson's pulse jumped a bit. He hated conflict and was quite unprepared for the disparaging remarks (about his friend and respected colleague) that were likely to come out of his patient's mouth. Before he could counter, Sam piped up again.

"I haven't seen her all day. Do you know where she is?"

Blaine relaxed a bit and let out a soft breath. "Oh, um, she should be on the schedule?" He squeaked rhetorically.

"The day's almost over and she hasn't visited me once. I just, I hope I didn't offend her or something."

Blaine was now completely relaxed. From the hang dog look plastered on the green eyed man's face, he knew instantly what the matter was. Mr. Evans appeared to be in the pith of "Florence Nightingale Syndrome". It was a mostly untold common occurrence at St. Crispin's. Mercedes often came in contact with the most vocal of her smitten patients, but unbeknownst to her, there were far more occurrences concerning the sweet and bubbly young nurse. Blaine did his best to stifle a knowing chuckle and batted away the temptation to verbally illustrate _"Here we go again." _

"Would it make you feel better if I checked on that for you?" Blaine had now adopted an unintentional pathetic tone. Sam instantly felt stupid for divulging his concern.

"It's not a big deal Doc. I just – she's nice – her face was nice. A friendly face – is what I'm trying to say."

"I understand completely. I'll check on that once we get you settled back in your room." The two men made their way back up to room 819. Blaine left Sam to wallow in a heady mix of embarrassment, hopefulness, and confusion. Sam stroked his scruffy chin as his mind drifted back to the previous morning. He remembered how nice Mercedes smelled and the softness of her skin as he stroked her hand in consolation. He recalled the intense wanting within himself at that moment. She was so close to him; closer than she'd been in the past 4 days and his mind couldn't properly extrapolate the magnitude of what would have happened.

An hour and a half later, Doctor Anderson returned with a handsome Asian man whose face seemed vaguely familiar to Sam. Sam frowned slightly as he searched the faces of the two men before him. For a split second, panic rushed through him, until Blaine cleared his throat before speaking.

"Sam, this is Mike. Mike, Sam."

Mike's normally friendly face was colored with a bit of sadness. He looked as if he was wrestling with something but of course Sam could not glean specifics at this point.

"I'll leave you two alone." Blaine, who donned a serious face, remarked calmly as he exited. When the door clicked shut, Sam's eyes widened a bit and his mouth turned down uncomfortably. Who was this guy and why did Doctor Anderson look so serious when he left? Sam's mind raced and his fingers tapped nervously at his sides in anticipation of the stranger's report. Mike moved closer to Sam and extended his hand for a shake as he spoke.

"I'm Mike Chang; a good friend of Mercedes'."

A flash of relief came over Sam. "Oh" he began breathlessly "Yeah, she mentioned you." After shaking hands, Mike simply nodded and planted his hands in his back jeans pockets. He looked around uneasily but before he could speak, Sam began "Is Mercedes ok? I mean, Nurse Jones?" At that moment, Mike let out a small laugh with an undertone of knowing.

"Yeah, yeah, _**Mercedes**_ is fine." Mike retorted. The intentional emphasis on Mercedes' name was understood by Sam as he gazed into Mike's eyes sheepishly.

"Mercedes." Sam repeated firmly with a newly confident expression. Mike nodded again.

"I'm sorry you had to wait so long to hear this, but I worked the late shift, so I'm slow moving today."

Sam screwed up his face with confusion and braced one of his hands on the railing of his bed.

"Mercedes told me everything."

Sam's face dropped immediately in utter bewilderment. He tried to protest, but Mike threw his hand up quickly in stoppage.

"Don't be alarmed!" He assured Sam. "She had a good reason for telling me."

Sam's heart beat wildly and he felt his throat begin to constrict with panic. He blinked his eyes rapidly and tried to steady his emotions by balling one of his fists tightly. He swallowed with force and waited for Mike to continue.

"Something happened to her family and she had to go away."

Sam's eyes dropped instantly as well as his heart. For some reason the way Mike delivered the line made it seem so final. He cleared his throat and winced as his eyes rejoined Mike's. He swallowed hard again.

"She wanted you to know that she doesn't know how long she'll be gone but that you should know it has nothing to do with you."

Finally able to speak Sam uttered "I've heard that one before." His eyes darting back down to his lap; his head began to shake as he clenched his jaw.

Mike fished a small sealed note from his shirt pocket and handed it to Sam. Sam's face screwed up in confusion again as Mike continued to speak.

"She also wanted you to have this. It will explain a little better than I can." Sam took the note gently and stared at the rosy paper; his gaze nearly boring a hole through it.


End file.
